Preventive Home Visits
Home falls are one of the most complex health care issues, and researchers have looked into the most efficient ways of reducing home falls. One of the suggested ways of reducing the reported cases of the home falls in the development of home visit programs. The home visit programs are aimed at enhancing the provision of home fall prevention education to the victims and their relatives or caregivers.
Luck, Motzek, Luppa, Matschinger, Fleischer, Sesselmann, and Reidel-Heller (2013) developed a study that revealed that preventive home fall visits are effective in eliminating the reported cases of falls by the elderly. The main reason for the effectiveness of preventive home visits is that they provide the victims with personalized preventive measures. General training on health care providers and family members does not place the personal requirements of the patients into perspective; hence, it is not as effective as the home visits.
Home Modification
Chase, Mann, Wase, and Arbesman (2012) developed a study that highlighted the effectiveness of home modification and other interventional programs in reducing cases of home falls. The findings of the study revealed that the application of different preventive measures alongside home modification can effectively eliminate the number of falls. Some of the alternative approaches include providing exercising programs, enhancing vision through regular tests, and providing assistive technology to evaluate risks of falling in the home setting.
The study revealed that exercising and providing education to caregivers and patients about their safety in homes can effectively reduce cases of home falls. The growth in technology has provided the ability to detect potential risks to falls in the home setting, and the relevant modifications can be applied on a timely basis depending on the requirements of the patients. The researchers also proposed the development of continuous studies to look into the best alternatives to enhance safety for the respective patients.
Multi-Interventional Protocol
The best quality prevention programs for falls have been proposed by various researchers, but it is apparent that the most important aspect of the programs is educating the caregivers and the patients. Vigilance on the part of the caregivers is the main contributing factor to the elimination of falls in the home setting. According to Jackson (2016), the development of a program that entails mobilizing caregivers to enhance vigilance is one of the most effective ways of preventing falls. Additionally, patients need to exercise on a daily basis to enhance their physical agility. Caregivers are advised to ensure their patients take part in outdoor activities to build on their physical energy.
It is apparent that the development of regular checks on the patients improves their safety because the nurses and caregivers can identify the risks around the home environment. Additionally, caregivers should focus on ensuring that every patient receives personalized care.
By evaluating the respective needs of the patients, it is possible to provide the most appropriate multi-interventional protocol. For instance, there are patients who need physical exercises to reduce the number of monthly falls, whereas there are those who need to be assisted through the modification of the home setting because their eyesight is the main issue. The caregivers are obliged to acquaint themselves with the requirements of their patients to ensure that the relevant programs are applied to enhance positive health outcomes.
References
Chase, C. A., Mann, K., Wasek, S., & Arbesman, M. (2012). Systematic review of the effect of home modification and fall prevention programs on falls and the performance of community-dwelling older adults. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 66(3), 284-291.
Jackson, K. M. (2016). Improving nursing home falls management program by enhancing standard of care with collaborative care multi-interventional protocol focused on fall prevention. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, 6(6), p84.
Luck, T., Motzek, T., Luppa, M., Matschinger, H., Fleischer, S., Sesselmann, Y., & Riedel-Heller, S. G. (2013). Effectiveness of preventive home visits in reducing the risk of falls in old age: a randomized controlled trial. Clin Interv Aging, 8, 697-702.