First, Happy PT month to our PTs and PTAs. You are appreciated for all that you do!
Second, Happy Fall! (but please don’t!!) As the weather is changing and as each season passes, we start to think about how we can make a change or a difference in ourselves, improve our outlook, and maybe even set some new goals for ourselves. Hopefully we are also thinking about how we can improve our outcomes and better help the populations we serve.
One of the many hot topics right now is fall reduction and fall prevention in our communities. We need to transition the way we manage falls from reactive — addressing after the fall has happened — to proactive — addressing deficits BEFORE the fall has a chance to happen.
Unlike the season, falls for residents do not have to be inevitable. We must look at the mechanism that caused the fall and what we can do as a team to support and educate our communities. Functional Pathways has course offerings with our Core4 + program that cover a variety of topics and help educate on ways to partner with the facility, including training staff and/or caregivers on risk factors that could lead to falls. Our Be Steady program looks at different approaches the interdisciplinary team can use to not only identify an increased risk for falls, but also how to stop that fall risk in its tracks.
Another thing that most people are unaware of is how falls in our communities directly affect our facilities’ quality measures (QMs) and star rating. These are available to anyone when looking for a safe post-acute stay following hospitalization or long-term care for a loved one. Do you know your facility’s QMs and how they compare to other facilities in your area?
QMs are taking a forefront in the minds of the therapy world as we look at and compare where we stand against our competitors. Partnering with facilities to assist in improving these metrics is fast becoming a standard need across the country. Let’s be a resource and use our skillsets in our communities to be the experts on how to protect our residents and populations from falls.
If you are interested in how to get involved with our Core4+ programs, please reach out to your ADO or anyone on the clinical team at clinical@fprehab.com.