Promoting Fall Prevention Month Flu Clinics
Flu vaccination clinics are a great opportunity to share information on risk factors for falls and empower the public to take action to maintain their independence and prevent falls.
Organization/Sponsor Contact: Saskatchewan Health Authority, Daphne Kemp (daphne.kemp@saskhealthauthority.ca)
Type of Activity: Campaign
Target Audience: Older Adults, Caregivers, All Ages
Sector: Community-dwelling older adults
Costs: No cost to target audience. Staff time to prepare and staff the clinics. Cost for printable resources to be provided to public and posters.
Timeline for Activity: Before, during and after November during flu clinic time.
Suggested Action Steps for this activity
- Have a discussion with whoever is doing the flu clinics in your area (such as pharmacies, physicians, Health Units, etc) to confirm their interest and participation in a fall prevention initiative for seniors getting their flu shot.
- Discuss ways to get consent from seniors who are getting a flu shot to engage in fall prevention screening and education.
- Identify an appropriate fall screening tool, such as the area’s most frequently used screening tool or the checklists used in Finding Balance. Provide an environmental checklist and Are you at risk for falls brochure and other educational resources to use with the seniors (see http://fallpreventionmonth.ca/), identify who will conduct the screening (i.e. the nurse, physician or pharmacist giving the flu shot) and the appropriate referrals (e.g. Community Care Access Centre etc.) that can be made.
- Identify where and when the fall prevention screening and education will take place (i.e. before or after the flu shot). We recomend before the flu shot to ensure 100% reach.
- Draft a detailed plan to confirm flow of activities and the roles and responsibilities of all who will be involved. Consider tracking the number of seniors who have been screened