Colleagues,

Attached is a poster advertising our "Falls Prevention in Seniors Across the Continuum of
Care" Conference on March 24 and 25, 2011 at the Delta Bessborough Hotel in Saskatoon, SK.

Don

Colleages,

Attached is a copy of an email sent by Sarah Elliott announcing the availability of a new report that might be of interest. For your convenience, I've attached a copy of the report (available on the website indicated below).

Don

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Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce that the new report “Falls & Related Injuries among Older Canadians: Fall-related Hospitalizations & Prevention Initiatives” is now available online. The report PDF is available at http://www.hiphealth.ca/CEMFIA , item #7 on the webpage.



Announcing the new report “Falls & Related Injuries among Older Canadians: Fall-related Hospitalizations & Prevention Initiatives”

Prepared by: Vicky Scott, PhD, RN; Lori Wagar, MSc; Sarah Elliott, BSc

The fall of an older adult can have an enduring and devastating impact, resulting in injury, chronic disease, a reduced quality of life and, in severe cases, death. It is estimated that one in three persons over the age of 65 is likely to fall at least once each year1, and in Canada, this translated to approximately 1.4 million seniors who fell at least once in 2005. By 2031, it is projected that older adults will make up 24% of Canada’s entire population and approximately $4.4 billion will be spent on direct health care costs for fall-related injuries among this age population2.

This new report, prepared for the Division of Aging and Seniors, Public Health Agency of Canada, is an analysis of the 2008/2009 Canadian hospitalization data for fall-related injuries among persons aged 65 years and older . The analysis is followed by the results of a scan of fall prevention programs currently operating across Canada. The appendices to this document include a list of definitions of terms, the survey tool used in the scan of programs, and the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) epidemiological data.

Highlights of the analysis and findings include:

· In the year 2008/2009, 53,545 Canadians aged 65+ were hospitalized for a fall. This translated to an age-standardized rate of 15.5 per 1,000 seniors.

· While both males and females have increasing rates of hospitalization by age, females were hospitalized for a fall at a higher rate than for males in comparable age groups.

· Fall-related injuries are the leading cause of injury hospitalization for seniors in all Canadian provinces and territories and comprise between 73% (Territories) and 88% (Nova Scotia) of all injury-related hospitalizations.

· When compared to all reasons for hospitalization among Canadian seniors, fall-related hospitalizations account for 7.3%, with Newfoundland having the lowest percentage (5.3%) and British Columbia having the highest (8.2%).

· Over half (51%) of falls resulting in hospitalization (N=27,306) occurred in or around the home; falls in residential institutions accounted for 18% (N=9,462) of hospitalizations due to falls among those aged 65 and older.

· In Canada, 38% of all seniors who were hospitalized because of a fall had sustained a hip fracture and 39% sustained other types of fractures.

· The average acute length of stay for a fall-related injury was 70% longer (15.1 days) for Canada as a whole compared to the average length of stay for all other causes of hospitalization excluding falls (8.9 days) in 2008/2009.

· This scan of Canadian fall prevention programs captured 282 programs across the country.


1 World Health Organization, 2008; Scott, Peck & Kendall, 2004; Tinetti & Speechley, 1989; O’Laughlin et al., 1993.

2 SmartRisk, 2010.


For further information, please contact Sarah Elliott at sarah.elliott@gov.bc.ca

Prepared for: Division of Aging and Seniors, Public Health Agency of Canada

Citation:
Scott, V., Wagar, L., & Elliott, S. (2010). Falls & related injuries among older Canadians: Fall-related hospitalizations & intervention initiatives. Prepared on behalf of the Public Health Agency of Canada, Division of Aging and Seniors. Victoria, BC: Victoria Scott Consulting.


Thank you,

Sarah Elliott
Fall Prevention Assistant
BC Injury Research & Prevention Unit, and
BC Ministry of Healthy Living and Sport
L408 - 4480 Oak Street
Vancouver, BC V6H 3V4
Phone: (604) 875-2000 ext. 6981
Fax: (604) 875-3569
E-mail: sarah.elliott@gov.bc.ca

URL: http://www.injuryresearch.bc.ca

Colleages,

I've posted the latest info on the Saskatchewan Seniors' Falls Injury Prevention Strategy from Gord Moker, Safe Saskatchewan.

----------------------------------------------

FROM GORD MOKER, Jan 26, 2010

Please take a few minutes to review the attached communication update and the revised SFIPS Strategic Framework which now contains the most up-to-date inventory of seniors fall prevention programs and services from around the province in Appendix A. Please also consider forwarding this email and the attachments to others in your health region and/or network of partners who might be interested in this communication update.

Sincerely,
Gord Moker
Chief Executive Officer
Safe Saskatchewan Inc.
320A - 2505 11th Avenue
Regina, SK S4P 0K6
PHONE 306.352.3810
FAX 306.352.3133
CELL 306.527.8736
EMAIL gmoker@safesask.com
WEB www.safesask.com

Subscribe to the Safe Saskatchewan Newsletter: http://www.safesask.com/html/newsletter/index.cfm
Safe Saskatchewan is blogging. Check us out at http://blog.safesask.com

Attached is a Summary of Provincial Seniors' Falls Inventory, December 2009 compiled by Gord Moker, Safe Saskatchewan.

Registration is now open for the Canadian Fall Prevention Conference being held in Vancouver March 22 & 23, 2010.

Attached is their poster.

Colleagues,

Janet Barnes et al (Forever ... in motion) have compiled an updated Falls Prevention Resource List 2009 which is available on the Saskatoon Health Region website [look under "F" for Falls (Injury Prevention) - Resources], but I've also attached a copy of this list below for your information.

Cheers ... Don

Sarah Nixon-Jackle has asked me to post the 2008 National Report Card on Osteoporosis Care: Breaking Barriers Not Bones. This report may be of interest to many of you.

Don

Attached is a copy of the Saskatchewan Injury Report 1995-2005 Randy Robinson wanted all to be aware of.

It can be located at the following link. This is the Sask Injury Report link - there is lots of info about falls and seniors in the report.

I've added a link (submitted by Dr. Jenny Basran) to the Safetylit Organization which surveys the world literature on injuries & injury prevention, for example, Falls Injuries.

The link is a the BOTTOM of the list of links.

From: Gord Moker
To: Gord Moker
Sent: Monday, March 19, 2007 2:19 PM
Subject: Safe Saskatchewan - On-line Awareness Survey Results

Further to my December, 2006 email as indicated below, the Safe Saskatchewan on-line survey has been completed and I attach a summary of survey results for your information.

On behalf of the Safe Saskatchewan Founding Partners, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for your assistance in completing and distributing the survey. This was a very successful project in that over 1100 people from all walks of life went on-line and filled out the survey questions. These survey results are valuable in that they provide us with an indication of the current level of public awareness regarding unintentional injuries in our province. Please feel free to distribute this information to your work colleagues or others who might be interested.

Take care and thanks once again for your support!

Sincerely,
Gord Moker
Program Coordinator
Safe Saskatchewan
445 Hoffer Drive
Regina, SK S4N 6E2
Fax: 306.569.1907
Phone: 306.757.3197
Cell: 306.527.8736
Email: gmoker@sasksafety.org

Attached is follow-up information from Gord Moker (Safe Saskatchewan) on the Fall Prevention Strategy Meeting in Regiona, November 8, 2006.

Attached is information distributed by Gord Moker from the Strategic Planning Workshop (on Falls Prevention) held in Regina November 8th.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello again everyone,

The results from the November 8th strategic planning workshop have been compiled and are attached:
Workshop Evaluation Summary - provides a summary of the comments given on the evaluation form that participants completed. On the top of the form, the matrix provides an indication of how each of the 35 participants evaluated the workshop. In the "General Comments" section, you will note that there is a question posed by one of the participants : Will Safe Saskatchewan become the provincial lead to coordinate a collaborative provincial strategy? I am happy to say that the answer to that question is YES!
Vision Data - Agenda item #4 - Vision Generation for SFIPS. Flipchart data has been gathered and is provided for your review.
Goals and Actions Data - Agenda items #5 and #6 - Goals & Actions Generation for SFIPS. Flipchart data has been gathered and is provided for your review.
Contact List - this document is in Microsoft Excel format and lists the names, organizations, phone numbers and email addresses of those individuals who had confirmed attendance at the November 8th event. To respect confidentiality, I have removed contact information for those individuals who have requested as such. The first tab of the spreadsheet sorts alphabetically by first name of participant; the second tab of the spreadsheet sorts alphabetically by organization name.
Thanks everyone for all your support and as always, please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or require additional information. I will be keeping in constant touch with you all. We are still gathering names of people interested in being steering committee members, so I will advise you on the make up of the committee, once it has been established.

Until the next time . . . . TAKE CARE!

Sincerely,
Gord Moker
Program Coordinator
Safe Saskatchewan
445 Hoffer Drive
Regina, SK S4N 6E2
Phone: 306.757.3197
Cell: 306.527.8736
Email: gmoker@sasksafety.org

"At work, home, or play,
let's make safety part of
a better way of life!"

Support the National Strategy for Injury Prevention
Log onto www.timeforaction.ca to participate

Attached is a PDF file sent along by Jane Richardson on PREVENTION OF FALLS IN THE ELDERLY - National Guideline Clearing House.

Fall injuries account for 36% of Saskatchewan's annual $1 billion economic burden from unintentional injuries. Of the $125 million in direct costs spent on falls, over $56 million is devoted to falls among our Saskatchewan seniors population. By targeting the risk factors associated with seniors' falls, setting a hospitalization reduction rate of 10% would lead to 300 fewer hospital stays and 75 fewer Saskatchewan seniors becoming permanently disabled. Overall savings would amount to $6 million annually. (Ref. The Economic Burden of Unintentional Injury in Saskatchewan, SMARTRISK - 2001. ISBN 1-894828-16-X).

The vast majority of seniors' falls (70%) occur in places of residence, including homes and residential institutions. These falls result in close to 3,000 hospitalizations every year, with the average cost of a hospital stay at between $19,000 & $20,000. The number of hospitalizations for females is twice as high as for males; the fall episode rate for females is 1.7 times higher than the fall episode rate for males. Just under 18% of hospitalizations result in a transfer to either a nursing home or a geriatric centre and slightly less than 6% result in death. (Ref. Fall Injuries Among Saskatchewan Seniors, 1992/93 to 1997/98: Implications for Prevention. Population Health Branch, Saskatchewan Health - 2002. ISBN 1-55157-015-7)

How do we work together to enable Saskatchewan seniors to reduce and ultimately eliminate fall injuries? You and/or a representative from your organization are invited to participate in a Seniors' Falls Strategic Planning Workshop to answer this important question. This workshop is being hosted by Safe Saskatchewan & its partner organizations and is scheduled for Wednesday, November 8, 2006, from 9:00 am to 3:45 pm at the Regina Inn, 1975 Broad Street, Regina. Breakfast and lunch will be provided and there is no registration fee. The purpose of this collaborative process is to create a provincial seniors' falls injury prevention strategy. A primary outcome of the strategy is to enhance the quality of life our elders so richly deserve.

Invitations are being extended to representatives from the following organizations:
· Acquired Brain Injury Partnership Project
· College of Physicians & Surgeons of Saskatchewan
· Community-based seniors falls coalitions: Regina; Swift Current; Saskatoon; Yorkton; Prince Albert and Moose Jaw
· All Regional Health Authorities
· Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations
· Health Canada, First Nations and Inuit Health Branch
· Health Quality Council
· Humboldt & Prince Albert Safe Community’s
· In Motion
· Institute of Agricultural Rural and Environmental Health
· Lifeline Systems, Canada, Inc.
· Osteoporosis Society of Canada
· Provincial Home Care
· Representative Board of Saskatchewan Pharmacists
· Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations
· Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations, Affiliates
· Saskatchewan Association of Recreation Professionals
· Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities
· Saskatchewan College of Pharmacists
· Saskatchewan College of Physiotherapy
· Saskatchewan Emergency Medical Services Association
· Saskatchewan Health
· Saskatchewan Homebuilders Association
· Saskatchewan Housing Corporation
· Saskatchewan Medical Association
· Saskatchewan Physiotherapy Association Inc.
· Saskatchewan Registered Nurses Association
· Saskatchewan School Boards Association
· Saskatchewan Seniors Mechanism
· Saskatchewan Society of Occupational Therapists
· Saskatchewan Union of Nurses
· Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association
· School of Physical Therapy, U of S
· Veterans Affairs Canada
** If you are aware of other organizations you feel should be included in the strategy development, please let me know.

Following is a list of attachments that will provide the full context:
Safe Sask Provincial Seniors Falls Strategy.pdf - a summary presentation on unintentional injuries in Saskatchewan, with a focus on seniors' fall injuries.
Health Canada's Best Practice Document for Seniors Falls.pdf - a study on best practices in seniors' fall prevention from around the world. This document is 78 pages in length, however, the executive summary (pages 5 through 8) provides a comprehensive overview.
Safe Saskatchewan Strat Planning Workshop Process Manual.pdf - provide details, including the agenda for the November 8 strategic planning workshop.
Seniors' Falls Injury Prevention Inventory List.doc - an important aspect of the strategic planning workshop is to gather an inventory of current programs & services (agenda item #3 in the workshop process manual). Those organizations currently undertaking seniors' falls injury prevention programs are asked to list these and email return the attached MS Word document to me on or before Friday, September 15, 2006.
Please RSVP your intention to participate in the creation of this provincial strategy, providing the name, telephone number and email address of the individual representing your organization, by Friday, September 15, 2006. RSVP's may be emailed to my attention at gmoker@sasksafety.org

Your participation is an integral part of realizing our vision of an injury free Saskatchewan where safe lifestyles influence how we live, work and play. We will effect this vision by working together to eliminate unintentional injuries in Saskatchewan.

Thanks very much for your consideration and please don't hesitate to call me directly if you have any questions or require additional information.

Sincerely,
Gord Moker
Program Coordinator
Safe Saskatchewan
445 Hoffer Drive
Regina, SK S4N 6E2
Phone: 306.757.3197
Cell: 306.527.8736
Email: gmoker@sasksafety.org

"At work, home, or play,
let's make safety part of
a better way of life!"

Support the National Strategy for Injury Prevention
Log onto www.timeforaction.ca to participate

Hi All,

I've posted the Registration Brochure, Call for Posters, and Abstract Template for the STAYING ON YOUR FEET: PREVENTING FALLS IN SENIORS Symposium being held in Saskatoon on Friday September 22 at the Radisson Hotel.

This symposium is hosted by the Saskatoon Falls Prevention Consortium. The keynote speaker is Elaine Gallagher RN, PhD.

From the Registration Brochure --

"Dr. Elaine Gallagher has an internationally established track record in relation to research on falls and fall-related injury prevention among older people.

A Full Professor in the School of Nursing, she holds adjunct appointments in the University of Victoria Centre on Aging and the Gerontology Program at Simon Fraser University. In 2002 she was named "Researcher of the Year" by the Canadian Association of Nurse Researchers. Her collaborative research efforts include publication of two documents commissioned by Health Canada's Division of Aging and Seniors for the FPT Ministers of Health and Ministers Responsible for Seniors.

Dr. Gallagher also engaged in three phases of a project entitled "STEPS" (Studies of Environments which Promote Safety funded by Health Canada). This was the first published research pertaining to the epidemiology of seniors' slips, trips and falls in public places. Gallagher's current work includes a study on falls in long-term care settings and a study of Home Support Workers as first level assessors of fall risk."

Dr. Gallagher assumed the role of Director of the Centre on Aging at the University of Victoria on July 1, 2006."

Don

I've posted a link to the Saskatoon Falls Prevention Consortium Website (look at top of right column). This site is still "under construction"; materials are still being posted to it. There is currently an extensive set of downloadable resources available posted on this site. There are also a series of video clips under Screening Tools.

I've also posted a lilnk to a "Physicians Falls Prevention Toolkit" and updated and checked other links.

Don

You can receive a copy by contacting:

Michelle Coghlan
Community Development Associate

Direct line (416) 596-2709
mcoghlan@smartrisk.ca


Regards,
Corrine Galarneau (SCHR)

We'll use this site to share resource materials. Much of the information on this site is protected and will appear as attachments to secured "articles". To access those "articles" you'll need to login with the "username" and "password" which has been sent to you. To see and download attachments, click on "Permanent Link" below "Attachments".
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Cheers ... Don Drinkwater