Falls in Older People

Prevention & Management, Fourth Edition

By Rein Tideiksaar, Ph.D.

ISBN 978-1-932529-44-9
376 pages
7 x 10 papercover
© 2010

$47.99

Read author Dr. Rein Tideiksaar’s falls prevention blog!

Falling is one of the biggest safety and health issues among older adults. As the number of older adults surges with aging baby boomers, care providers need reliable fall prevention strategies and best practices more and more urgently. This comprehensive manual provides all the information needed to tackle falls and fall risks in acute and long-term care settings. With a solid foundation in evidence-based practices, Falls in Older People has all the medical, rehabilitative, and environmental strategies needed to protect the safety and health of at-risk older adults:

  • Expanded guidelines and assessment tools, including a Fall Prevention Program Checklist
  • Tie-ins to the MDS
  • Recommendations for restraint reduction and alternatives
  • A practical “early warning” system for fall risk
  • Step-by-step guidance for implementing both procedural and organizational best practices
  • Home safety guidelines for patients and families

This essential resource is a must-have for nursing and direct care staff responsible for care planning, as well as geriatricians, allied health professionals, administrators, and professional and family caregivers. Add it to your resource library and start preventing and managing falls in your care settings today.

About the Author
Preface to the Fourth Edition
Content of the Book
Introduction

SECTION ONE Understanding Falls and Falls Management

  1. Consequences of Falls
  2. Causes of Falling and Fall Risk
  3. Clinical Assessment and Evaluation
  4. Preventive Strategies to Reduce Fall Risk
  5. Environmental Modifications
  6. Reducing Mechanical and Chemical Restraints

SECTION TWO Fall Prevention Practice

  1. Key Process Steps and Interventions
  2. Organizational Requirements
  3. Evidence-Based Practice

SECTION THREE Resources

  1. Fall Prevention Guidelines
    • Best Clinical Practices in Acute Care Hospitals and Nursing Facilities
    • Fall Prevention Program: Organizational Self-Assessment
    • Fall Risk Assessment
    • Fall Prevention and Restraint Avoidance Programs
    • Restraint/Non-Restraint Utilization Assessment
    • Framework for Reducing Physical Restraints
    • Measuring Fall Rates and Restraint Use Rates
    • Eyes and Ear Program
    • Ambulation Device Measurement
    • Ambulation Device Utilization
    • Bed Safety
    • Side Rail Utilization Assessment
    • Using Adjustable Low Beds
    • Using Hip Protectors
    • Developing an Effective Hip Protector Program
    • Achieving Hip Protector Compliance
    • Using Fall Alarms
    • Selecting Fall Alarms
    • Maintaining Effective Fall Alarm Systems
    • Fall Risk Monitoring Strategies
    • Using Fall Management Technologies
    • Selecting and Implementing Fall Management Technology
    • Fall Management Technology Audits
    • Roles of Nurses and Certified Nursing Assistants in the Use of Fall Management Technology
  2. Home Safety Guidelines
    • Home Safety Guidelines
    • Checklist for Spotting and Correcting Home Safety Hazards
    • Self-Assessment of Fall Risk in Your Home
  3. Forms
    • Performance-Oriented Environmental Mobility Screen (POEMS)
      • Ambulation
      • Transfers
      • Balance Key to Interventions
      • POEMS Summary
    • Performance-Oriented Bed Mobility Screen
    • Injury and Acute Medical Problems Checklist
    • Fall Risk Checklist
    • High-Fall Risk Room Setup
    • Process Steps in Reducing Bedside Falls
    • Restraint/Non-Restraint Assessment and Care Planning Tool
    • Side Rail Assessment and Care Planning Tool
    • Wheelchair Problems and Modifications Checklist
    • Discharge Teaching Sheets
    • Checklist to Assess Components of a Successful Fall Prevention Program
    • Checklist to Audit Care Plans
    • Administrator’s Safety Walk Rounds Checklist
    • Safety Culture Checklist

Appendix A: Case Study Exercises
Appendix B: Problem Solving: Questions and Answers

Bibliography
Index

Falls in Older People: Prevention & Management, Fourth Edition(Tideiksaar 4e Excerpt) by HealthProPress

Read Dr. Rein Tideiksaar’s falls prevention blog!

Rein Tideiksaar, Ph.D., is President of FallPrevent, LLC, a company that provides educational, legal, and marketing services in connection with fall prevention in the elderly. Dr. Tideiksaar has been active in the area of fall prevention for more than fifteen years. He has directed numerous research projects on falls and has developed fall prevention programs in community, assisted living, home care, acute care hospital, and nursing facility settings. Dr. Tideiksaar has written numerous articles and book chapters on falls and related topics. He is the author of Falls in Older People: Prevention and Management, Fourth Edition (Health Professions Press). In addition to three previous editions of this professional resource, he is the author of Falling in Old Age: Its Prevention and Treatment, Second Edition (Springer Publishing Company, 1997).

From 2000 to 2003, Dr. Tideiksaar was the Senior Vice President of Fall Prevention and Injury Reduction Systems, ElderCare Companies, Inc., Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey. Prior to 2000, he was Director of Geriatric Educational and Clinical Programs and Director of the Falls and Immobility Program, Department of Geriatrics, Southwest Medical Associates, Inc., Las Vegas, Nevada. He has also served as Director of Geriatric Care Coordination, Sierra Health Services, Inc., Las Vegas, Nevada, and Director of the Falls and Immobility Program, Department of Geriatrics and Adult Development, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, New York.

Dr. Tideiksaar obtained a doctorate from Columbia Pacific University and a physician assistant certification from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Dr. Tideiksaar completed his geriatric training at the Parker Jewish Geriatric Institute, New Hyde Park, New York.

2 reviews for Falls in Older People

  1. Administrator

    “For those of us who work in Fall Prevention we are fortunate to add to our resources another comprehensive, practical, evidence-informed fall prevention guide from the acclaimed author and fall prevention expert—Dr. Rein Tideiksaar. I am pleased to endorse this solid piece of work that focuses on an often overlooked population—health care providers who care for older persons in hospitals and nursing facilities. This fourth edition builds on a solid foundation of evidence on the causes and prevention of falls and translates this knowledge into practical solutions in the form of assessment tools, care plans, and detailed strategies for the application of least restraint policies, hip protectors, monitoring strategies, environmental modifications, discharge planning, and many others. A great strength of this book is the clear depiction of how proven strategies for prevention can be integrated into daily routine of health care providers in institutional settings. The book concludes with a useful set of case studies to help reinforce the wealth of new information and a series of answers to frequently asked questions sent to Dr. Tideiksaar over the years. This book is a must for all care settings for older adults.”
    Vicky Scott, PhD, RN, Senior Advisor on Fall & Injury Prevention B.C. Injury Research & Prevention Unit, and Ministry of Health Living and Sport; Director, Centre of Excellence on Mobility, Fall Prevention & Injury in Aging

  2. Administrator

    “My first introduction to Rein was through Falls in Older People: Prevention and Management, Second Edition, subsequently interacting with him professionally on a few fall prevention advisory panels. Throughout our relationship I have remained in awe of his single-minded focus on reducing the incidence of falls among our most vulnerable older adults, those in unfamiliar surroundings such as hospitals and long term care facilities.

    The general lack of effective inpatient and long-term care facility fall prevention programs is challenging but should not preclude the implementation of an evidence-informed approach to maintaining a safe environment for older adults. A well-educate staff with heightened awareness and standing protocols to promote a safe environment and identification and management of at risk older adults can reduce falls and fall-related injuries. This expanded edition provides the reader with a solid foundation in the basics of aging, fall prevention, and the evidence available on preventing falls. It should be the primary handbook of injury prevention/safety personnel in any facility housing older adult clients.”
    Bonita Lynn Beattie, PT, MPT, MHS, Vice President, Injurty Prevention Falls Free™ Initiative, National Council on Aging

Add a review

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This book is part of the Complete Falls Management Library, which includes the essential guide Falls in Older People: Prevention and Management, Fourth Edition as well as 8 CD-ROMs that cover a broad range of falls-related topics, including bed safety, post-fall evaluation, restraint reduction, and more. Each CD-ROM includes PowerPoint presentations for targeted staff training and relevant assessment forms, checklists, and guidelines in printable PDF format.

Save on the complete set (book + 8 CD-ROMs),a $292 value for only $150!

The Essential Falls Management Library book and CD-ROMs