Injury Prevention for the Elderly

The high risk of injury among elderly people is well documented. The purpose of this project is to develop a uniform and validated system for delivering comprehensive injury prevention training to professional staff and nonprofessionals who care for elderly adults in a variety of settings: adult day care and senior centers, board and care homes, nursing facilities, and in private homes. An injury prevention curriculum will be developed by a group of experts in gerontology, falls, pharmacology, substance abuse, suicide, fire safety, instructional design, and program evaluation. A prototype set of materials will be developed and pilot tested with adult day care, board and care, and nursing facilities staff. Materials will be developed to meet the needs of each audience. Each one will include a course book, instructor's manual, and evaluation instruments. A videotape will be produced to illustrate the need for injury prevention for the elderly suitable for all audiences. The completed system to be developed and field tested in Phase II will include staff training, continuing education, and a network which will serve the purpose of gathering information for continuing evaluation of the program and linking facilities needing training with qualified instructors.