Falls prevention: partnering occupational therapy and general practitioners.

Abstract

The Falls STOP project was a partnership between general practitioners (GPs) and occupational therapists with thecommon goal to reduce accidental falls in the elderly. A home visiting service was implemented that included theorganisation of home modifications, education on falls prevention strategies and referral to other community services.The pilot demonstrated some valuable benefits to sixty-eight clients referred to the program by twenty GPs. A numberof resources were developed such as a falls risk questionnaire completed by patients while waiting to see the doctor, anda falls prevention educational booklet. A significant challenge for future preventative programs is rousing the interestof a larger group of referring doctors, and promoting the benefits of shared care arrangements with occupationaltherapists that target specific health issues such as falls in the elderly.