Some more susceptible to falls than others
Wednesday February 13, 2008 -- Jason Thompson
According to guidelines published in the journal Neurology, patients suffering from stroke, dementia, walking and balance disorders are at the highest risk of falling.

The guidelines, developed by the American Academy of Neurology, suggest there is a lack of awareness among health-care professionals and patients alike to recognize and prevent fall-related injuries or death.

Because of the life consequences that can result from falling, such as disability of loss of independence, guideline author Dr. David J. Thurman says it’s important for providers to communicate with their patients the importance of falls prevention.

In addition to identifying people who are at a high risk of falling, Thurman says making the patient’s living environment safer and starting a regular exercise program are key to preventing falls.

While falls can affect patients in any care setting, the long-term care sector in Ontario has made significant gains in an attempt to not only reduce the number of falls in long-term care, but to minimize the impact those falls have on a resident’s quality of life.

For example, physiotherapy is one of the most common preventative measures utilized across the sector to help reduce the risk of falls in long-term care. By using physiotherapy, some long-term care homes have seen a significant reduction in falls over the years.

Mary Anne Greco, the administrator and director of care at Burnbrae Gardens, says since involving physiotherapists in resident care, falls and near-falls at the Campbellford long-term care home have declined by approximately 50 to 75 per cent.

Janet McNabb, director of care at Algonquin Nursing Home in Mattawa, says their physiotherapy program has “been one of the best preventative (measures)” against falls.

Another step the long-term care sector has taken to reduce falls is to keep a watchful eye on residents who are at risk, in lieu of the use of restraints — a conventional method falls prevention, but one the sector frowns upon because they limit a person’s quality of life and can actually cause injury if the resident attempts to fight or remove the restraint.

“We have one fellow here who, when he starts to ambulate, likes to maintain his independence, but we make sure that we’re close,” says Nancy Unsworth, director of care at Rosebridge Manor in Jasper.

Using pain medications, instead of psychotropic drugs to manage pain in residents, is another step the sector has taken to prevent falls.

Because psychotropic drugs can alter a person’s sensory perception and therefore contribute to a loss of equilibrium and a greater risk of falling, their use in long-term care is being minimized.

— With files from Deron Hamel