Citation

Lyons BP, Hall RJ. J. Community Health 2016; 41(5): 1021-1026.

Affiliation

Radiologic Technology and Medical Imaging Program, New York City College of Technology, 300 Jay Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11201, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s10900-016-0185-7

PMID

27013223

Abstract

In Latin America and the Caribbean, there is a scarcity of data on falls, the leading cause of death as a result of unintentional injuries, among older adults aged 65+ years of age. By 2050, 80 % of the 2 billion older adults worldwide are expected to be living in this region; therefore, it is imperative that this issue receive urgent attention from community health practitioners, health educators and policy makers. Guided by Pillar 1-awareness of the WHO fall prevention model for community-dwelling older adults, the purpose of this paper was to describe the feasibility of implementing a falls prevention awareness educational initiative in the Eastern Caribbean Island of Grenada. Sixty-two older adults, average age 67, participated in a falls awareness workshop. An anonymous pre-workshop falls assessment checklist was distributed to establish baseline information followed by an interactive workshop. Eight fall risks were identified and 52 % of the participants reported a history of falls. Based on the group's eagerness to participate, we are encouraged that falls prevention intervention initiatives are feasible among others of similar characteristics in Grenada and plan to implement Pillar II-objective falls assessment and Pillar III-on-going interventions.

Language: en