Focus on Fall Risk Assessments: When, Why, and What Sets Them Apart in Memory Care

Date:
Wednesday, July 20, 2022

Description

Fall risk assessments are the first step in fall prevention for a resident—and they’re critical for developing the right care plan, as well as setting expectations for residents’ families and care teams. For all residents, these assessments should be conducted at move-in, when there’s a change of condition, and annually. But these assessments shouldn’t be conducted in the same way for all residents—they have to be adjusted at certain levels of care.

You can’t assess fall risk in a memory care resident in the same way you would assess a resident in assisted living. And here’s why: most fall assessments require a combination of cognitive and physical effort from the resident, and can last for what is, to a person living with dementia, an extended time. Take for instance, the 30-second sit-to-stand assessment. It requires a resident to stand up and sit down as many times as they can in 30 seconds. This may not be a very complex task for someone with dementia, but 30 seconds can be long enough for them to not recall what task they are to complete or why. The result? You don’t have an accurate assessment.

In July’s National Fall Huddle, we’ll outline the types of assessments that work for those living with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, and we’ll explain what sets them apart. We’ll review the information that can be gathered from these assessments and how to use it to shape personalized care plans. We’ll determine the appropriate frequency of fall risk assessments, explore their purpose, and identify the skills needed to conduct them comprehensively. And we’ll examine how innovation can be used in conjunction with assessments to identify a fall’s root cause and any fall patterns. As always, we’ll review successful case studies, and our expert panel will take your questions.

Time:
10:00 am - 11:00 am PT
11:00 am - 12:00 pm MT
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm CT
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm ET

Learning objectives:

• Define the appropriate frequency and purpose of fall risk assessments for developing personalized care plans

• Outline how technology can be utilized in combination with fall risk assessments to understand root cause, patterns, and behaviors around falls, as well as helping to mitigate litigation and reduce caregiver burden 

• Determine how fall risk assessments for those living with dementia are different than for those living without dementia, helping ensure accurate risk assessment

• Define how to perform and interpret assessments and how to use this information to adjust care plans 

• Validate if the adjusted care plan is meeting the resident’s needs through QA processes and technology