Participants' Perceptions of Factors in Preventing Falls

Guzman Lecture Hall, Dominican University of California

Falls pose a serious threat to older adults, often resulting in physical, emotional, and financial consequences. The use of multifactorial fall prevention programs has provided community-dwelling older adults with strategies to decrease the risk of falling. Outcomes for these programs are measured in terms of such factors as fear of falling, balance and self-efficacy. One outcome of fall prevention programs that is less well understood is what the older adults themselves perceive as most beneficial. For this program evaluation project, five women participated in semi-structured interviews to understand which aspects of a multifactorial fall prevention program they found to be most beneficial. Three themes emerged in the interviews: integration of exercises into daily life, implementation of home modification recommendations, and appreciation of volunteer phone calls. Based on these themes, program enhancements were recommended.