As we’ve shared a few times in previous blogs, there has been a staggering 20% increase in falls due to COVID-19 social distancing and shelter-in-place restrictions in memory care communities. 

This is a challenging issue to tackle since those living with Alzheimer’s and dementia have unique needs that vary widely from one individual to another. A person-centered approach is necessary to reduce safety risks; however, standard fall prevention programs do not address the specific needs.

SafelyYou is filling this gap by launching SafelyYou University, a new fall prevention program that provides free online training courses tailored to specific profiles of those with Alzheimer’s and dementia. By leveraging more than 10,000 clinical reviews of fall videos, SafelyYou University is uniquely focused on developing Fall Champions, so they can lead fall prevention efforts in memory care communities. The role of Fall Champions include:

• Monitoring effectiveness of interventions 
• Leading consistent, timely fall huddles
• Coordinating staff in-services and ongoing education related to falls 
• Collecting fall data and sharing results with operators and care team

Training Implications

Direct-Care Staff

• Elevate your staff role
• Gain empowerment through knowledge
• Learn techniques to protect yourself from injury

Community Operators

• Reduce staff turnover rates
• Avoid costs of training new employees
• Boost staff morale and engagement
• Increase occupancy rates
  

Becoming a Fall Champion in Your Community

After completing SafelyYou’s training course, Fall Champions will be able to lead a direct-care staff’s frequent, in-person training efforts and teach and reinforce skills and techniques. 

The training curriculums are based on specific resident profiles. This approach meets the greater needs of adults living with Alzheimer’s and dementia so care staff can adapt to their limited capacity for new learning. This isn’t an easy task, since these residents don’t have the ability to learn lessons from previous falls and avoid potential risks. Fall Champions will learn how to work with individuals who may lack safety awareness and introduce new methods or adaptations as their status declines. 

Specifically, the fall champion training includes a series of short video-based lessons and accompanying quizzes for each of the following sessions:

• Understanding Dementia and Falls
• Designing a Safe Living Space Within Memory Care
• Elevating Your Fall Program

Training Direct-Care Staff on Fall Prevention

After the Fall Champion completes SafelyYou University’s course work, they can begin training the direct-care staff on the fall prevention concepts, techniques, principles and tools they learned. Certified Fall Champions have access to an In-Service Training Toolkit, which includes the following eight modules specifically designed for their community:

• Fall Response
• Transfer Off the Ground
• Mobility Aid Placement
• Cueing Techniques for Walker Use
• Cueing Techniques for Wheelchair Use
• Use of Environmental Sweeps
• Walker: Types & Fits
• Wheelchair: Types & Fits 

To aid Fall Champions in training the direct-care staff, each module has a video, which often includes short clips pulled from the coursework for each concept as well as new footage to illustrate the lesson. These 15-minute modules should reinforce core fall prevention concepts for your staff in an interactive, engaging way.

While the Fall Champion can use the Toolkit, they also know how to do hands-on training and role-playing to keep training exciting and different. By focusing on staff development, the direct-care team will feel empowered with their new knowledge and become more passionate about the role they play. Ultimately, this will increase the staffs’ empathy for residents and help reduce staff turnover.

Register for Free Fall Prevention Training at SafelyYou University

To register for the free training courses, visit the SafelyYou University website, where you will find comprehensive information about the coursework and the industry experts who developed the training. You can also download the whitepaper, “Reduce Costly Staff Turnover and Increase Occupancy Rates with Memory Care Fall Prevention Training.”

For more information, contact SafelyYou at [email protected].