Fall Prevention Essay

Fall prevention is one of the biggest safety concerns regarding geriatric and pediatric patients in a health care setting. Falls occur almost every day in hospitals and nursing home settings because of a variety of reasons, from weak bones and throw rugs to toys lying in the floor. Tumbles can have grave effects on a child because they tend to play and not pay attention to their surroundings which causes them to take a spill. The consequences can be even worse for an older adult that suffers a fall giving their age and health concerns, this gives the elderly a disadvantage when falls transpire. Most people can help prevent falls from occurring but OTs (Occupational Therapist) are an elite group of people with knowledge and skills that train,

manage, direct, and educate people on fall prevention. Next I will explain in these ensuing pages the role an OT plays in preventing falls, the way to prevent falls with geriatrics, and a way for preventing falls with pediatrics.
Occupational Therapist play big roles in fall prevention with people because they consider how a person functions in their day-to-day environment according to Elizabeth Walker Peterson, occupational therapist and clinical associate professor of occupation therapy at the University of Illinois at Chicago (www.aota.org/about-occupational-therapy).

The knowledge that OTs have on fall prevention comes from research and EBP (Evidence Based Practice) this gives the OT knowledge on why falls happen and how to prevent falls from occurring. Occupational therapist can use this evidence and aim at certain areas to avoid falls, because sometimes it’s not the environment that person is in but the person themselves which causes them to fall. Client factors are another problem when it comes to falls in regards to leg weakness, medications, and poor balance these factors could also be life threatening for an elderly person. Educating patients is an important role in the occupational therapy process because this teaches that person fall risk and fall circumvention which gives that person a better understanding on fall prevention. Regardless of the setting, an OT can help older people reduce their risk of falling for example by giving a person adaptive equipment like a reacher by helping them reach for something that’s to low or too high for them to grasp which could result in a fall. Another example is a low rise bed which could keep that person from falling because that bed is too high to get in and

out.
Falls in nursing homes are a big problem because they cause serious injury and even death. “Nursing home residents fall frequently. About 1,800 older adults living in nursing homes die each year from fall- related injuries and those who survive frequently sustain injuries that result in permanent disability and reduced quality of life” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (www.cdc.gov/HomeandRecreationalSafety). Each year a different nursing home that has at least 100 beds reports up to 100-200 falls per year and most falls go unreported, but most falls occur from residents that cannot walk and that attempt to transfer themselves. Another reason why residents fall in nursing homes is because of their deteriorating health which causes muscle weakness this makes it hard for residents to get in and out of bed and just makes ADLs hard period. Medications are also a factor that causes residents to fall in nursing homes. Medications sometimes keep the resident from thinking clearly or give them a side effect which significantly causes them to fall. The biggest reasons for problems in nursing homes are environmental hazards. The most common hazards in nursing homes are wet floors, bad lighting, incorrect bed height, and wheel chairs that aren’t maintained. These hazards account for almost 27% of falls midst residents. Fall prevention in nursing homes is essential to the wellness of residents. Making changes the nursing home can help prevent falls by putting in raised toilet seats in the bathroom so it wouldn’t be hard for the resident to get up from the toilet the bathroom could also be equipped with grab bars to help the resident get around the bathroom. Another way to prevent falls is by educating the staff on fall prevention because with their knowledge on fall prevention they can show the residents how to be safe and the staff can keep the nursing home clear of environmental hazards. Finally exercise programs could help prevent falls by allowing the resident to gain strength, improve balance, and advance a stronger walking ability which increases performance.
The most unpredictable falls occur with children because they are sometimes blind to the hazards that are around them. Falls are some of the most unplanned injuries to kids during hospitalization and also outside of the hospital. Children under the age of five account for almost 50% of children that do fall and children older than 10 have the most risk for fall-related deaths or critical injury. According to the American Nurse Today “children at high risk for serious injury include preschoolers, children older than the age 10, children with disabilities and minimal mobility, and children in wheelchairs, regardless of cognitive ability” (www.americannursetoday.com/protecting-children-by-preventing-falls). Preventing falls for children is important to child safety. The way to protect a child form falling is by being very vigilant. Watching children as they play or interact with their environment can save a child form injury because children do not pay attention to warning signs or hazards and by an adult being observant it could help in fall prevention. Hospitals are also dangerous because falls can occur anywhere at any time. Fall prevention is very important in hospitals especially with pediatric patients a way to prevent this is monitoring pediatric children frequently. Another step for fall prevention would be labeling children who are fall-risk with stickers or ids this could help identify the children whom have the most potential for falling. Finally the stretchers, cribs, and beds should be put in its lowest position and locked, also rooms should have proper lighting with doors open to see the children and the rooms need to be clutter free to prevent falls in the room.
I hope I have given you some insight on the way an Occupational Therapist is used in preventing falls and the necessary steps it takes for fall prevention among geriatric and pediatric patients. Fall prevention is one of the biggest safety concerns regarding geriatric and pediatric patients in a health care setting.