Information for Service Providers

Environmental Management

Assessments

• Taking Action to Prevent Falls: A Home Environmental Assessment: A checklist for identifying problems and potential solutions within the home. This checklist goes through key problem areas and fall hazards, providing a framework for addressing these issues via both resident and assessor involvement. (PDF or XLS Excel File)

Tools You Can Use (Printable Resources)

• 2007 Directory of Accessible Building Products: Created by the NAHB Research Center and ToolBase Services, this extensive booklet contines information about general home modification guidelines as well as a wide range of products available for home modification. (large PDF file)
• A Tool Kit To Prevent Senior Falls: Fact sheets, graphs, and brochures about falls and fall prevention for older adults designed for fall prevention programs.
• National Directory of Home Modification and Repair Programs: Information and comments on home modification activity nationwide with the ability to find information from the state of your choice.
• Preventing Falls And Fall-Related Injuries: List of things to do to create a safe environment with less risks for falls. (PDF).
• Remembering WhenTM: Fire and Fall Prevention for Older Adults. (Spanish Version): Powerpoint presentation with photos and artwork detailing and illustrating step to prevent falls in the home. (PPT).
• Safe Steps Checklist: Checklist to use as a guide that can help keep your family safe from slips and falls at home. (PDF).
• Safe Steps to Reduce Falls: Home safety walk-through list provided by the Home Safety Council to help identify and correct potential slips and falls hazards. (PDF).
• “Stay Safe: Illustration showing 14 dangerous household problems that could lead to falls.

Websites

• Community and Home Injury Prevention Project for Seniors (CHIPPS): Goal of the CHIPPS program is to create awareness that many injuries to older people can be prevented, develop ways to correct injury hazards and provide resourses on health professionals.
• Falls in the Home: This site offers a list of articles and resources about falls in the home.
• Fall Prevention Center of Excellence: Started in September 2004, this foundation launched a statewide Fall Prevention Initiative in the state of California to help with risk assessment, exercise and enviornmental modications for fall prevention.
• National Resource Center for Safe Aging: This website contains a wealth of falls-related information for public health professionals, with links to many other useful sites.
• Prevention of Falls in the Elderly Population: Facts about falls in elderly Canadians as well as detailed preventative measures for persons in various physical stages.
• U.S. Fall Prevention Programs for Seniors: A comprehensive PDF about fall prevention programs for seniors from the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.
• www.homemods.org: This site offering information about home modifications and how to promote independence and prevent accidents in the home.

Articles and Reports

• Utilization of a Screening Tool to Identify Homebound Older Adults at Risk for Falls: Validity and Reliability - This report from Home Health Care Services Quarterly examins the reliability and validity of a Falls Risk Assessment (FRA) tool developed to identify risk factors associated with falls in homebound older adults. (PDF)
• “A Best Practices Guide for the Prevention of Falls Among Seniors Living in the Community: Results of study to review fall prevention programs and practices resulting in evidence for effective approaches for reducing injury among seniors, as well as efficient means of delivering prevention programs.
• Environmental Scan: A comprehensive description an environmental scan used to assess to the problem of falls for older adults. ( PDF).
• Falls Among Older Adults: Facts and lists about the programs and accomplishments by the CDC regarding falls among older adults.
• Fall Reduction Initiative: Establishing New Directions for Safety (FRIENDS): The goal of this paper is to assist in identifying fall risk factors among older adults and to increase public awareness of measures that can help to prevent falls. (PDF).
• Falls In The Elderly: Analysis on determining and treating the underlying cause of falls.
• Nonfatal Bathroom Injuries Among Persons Aged 15 Years and Older - United States, 2008: CDC examined unintentional, nonfatal bathroom injuries among persons ages 15 years and older and identified the types of injuries, most common locations within the bathroom, and the precipitating events.
• Preventing Falls: Which Intervention Is Most Effective? Outlines several interventions that have successfully reduced the incidence of falls among elderly people living at home.
• Promising Pathways: Falls Prevention Programs for Older Canadians Living in the Community: Handbook designed for professionals and others who work with seniors and veterans in the community and is based on a comprehensive review of falls prevention programs around the world.
• Research Review Papers: Review includes risk factors and prevention strategies, role of excerise in reducing falls, role of medication modification in fall prevention and the role of environment at home and the community in fall prevention. (PDF).