Authors (including presenting author) :
LUK HYM(1), LAM WFR(1), KWAN JKK(1), LEUNG SC(1)
Affiliation :
(1) Occupational Therapy Department, Kowloon Hospital
Introduction :
Fall has been a significant factor leading to a high hospitalization rate among the elderly in Hong Kong. According to the Department of Health (2018), fall was found to be the most common cause of unintentional injury in Hong Kong, accounting for 39.4%. Among the elderly group, 74.5% of injuries were associated with falls. Hence, a new fall prevention program was developed at the Occupational Therapy (Psychiatry) outpatient unit of Kowloon Hospital, aiming at educating fall prevention strategies and practising balance and strengthening exercises. The program was designed based on the Lifestyle-integrated Functional Exercise (LiFE) approach, and the mobile application “HA Go” was incorporated to facilitate the compliance of home programs.
Objectives :
To develop a fall prevention program based on the LiFE approach for reducing recurrent falls and enhancing mental well-being among the elderly.
Methodology :
Elderly clients were first assessed by occupational therapists to identify their fall risk, excluding those with significant physical and cognitive dysfunctions. Participants were invited to attend 3 to 5 sessions, of the Fall Prevention Program on an individual basis under the current pandemic, while caregiver involvement was supported. Two telephone follow-ups were also arranged, one conducted for pre-assessment before the program commenced, and one conducted as a booster after the second session. Outcomes were measured in three dimensions, including Modified Barthel Index (MBI), Five Well-being Index (WHO-5), and Fall Efficacy Scale (FES).
Result & Outcome :
During September 2021 to August 2022, a sample of 12 clients at a mean age of 76.5, suffering from mood disorders and/or cognitive impairment were recruited. The result showed that all participants (100%) did not experience recurrent falls after the program upon 3-month follow-up. Score of FES was found to have a significant increase, t (11) = 4.661, p < .01, indicating their increased confidence in performing daily activities. The increase in WHO-5 score was also significant, t (11) = 2.836, p < .05. Self-care performance was maintained, as shown by the result from MBI (t (11) = -.068, p > .05).
The results support the effectiveness of the new fall prevention program in reducing recurrent falls, as well as maintaining the well-being of participants. Future studies would be conducted with a larger sample size and longer follow-ups for further examining the effectiveness of the fall prevention program on psychogeriatric patients.
