The development of a guide to preventing falls in older people living alone in the community

17^th World Congress on Clinical Nursing & Practice

August 29-30, 2018 | Zurich, Switzerland

Odete Araujo, Isabel Lage, Manuela Almendra and Fatima Braga

University of Minho - School of Nursing, Portugal

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: Adv Practice Nurs

Abstract :

Introduction: Worldwide high costs are spent with new cases of hospitalization and institutionalization caused by fractures in older people (1). The complex and multifactorial nature of fall risk among a rapidly aging population demands a proactive and systematic approach to prevention(1). Falls can be preventable with awareness and dissemination of good practices, trough written support with main topics/risks than can be changed in order to prevent falls (1,2). Objectives: The main goal of this research is to develop a guide of good practice for preventing falls in older people living alone at home. Methods: After a systematic review and tested an instrument to evaluate the risk of falling, the Alertfalls team will develop a guide of good practice creation on falls prevention. This guide is also intended to: (1) define the key elements which make fall prevention programs effective; (2) alert older people about the major intrinsic and extrinsic factors on risk of falling. This guide will become a tool to be used by decision makers and delivered in community-dwelling, especially in the region of Cávado, in Northern Portugal. Results/Conclusions: It is expected that this guide may support older people who living alone to improve falls prevention by emphasizing the individual potential of each older person. Health professionals, in general, and nurses, in particular, have an important role concerning falls prevention, especially those who work in the community, counseling and screening older people who have the highest risk of falling.

Biography :

Odete Araújo (PhD; MSc; RMN) is Professor at the School of Nursing of the University of Minho. PhD in Nursing, Master in Gerontology and specialization in Mental Health Nursing. Her research interests are focused on the development of a pilot programme organized in accordance with the Medical Research Council’s Framework for Complex Interventions. In addition, she participated in several national and international projects regarding ageing, falls prevention; frailty; informal caregiving and mental health. Odete is member of the European Academy of Nursing Sciences (EANS), integrated the REFLECTION Research Network Programme in 2013 and is also member of the AGE platform (EU). She is author and reviewer of international and national journals in nursing field as well as reviewer in international conferences concerning health and education in nursing.