“Because mobility in later life results in positive health benefits but increases exposure to falls, many researchers and health care providers in geriatric nursing and medicine have called for ensuring safe mobility while protecting older adults from harm. It’s especially important to identify strategies that can potentially reduce the risk of fall-related injuries in older adults.This increasing focus on fall-injury prevention—in addition to fall prevention—represents a major shift in safety practice.”

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How can nurses best help family caregivers?

How can nurses help family caregivers identify fall risk in their family members, prevent falls, and respond to them if they occur?

According to the authors of “Preventing Falls and Fall-Related Injuries at Home“—the latest in our ongoing series of articles and videos, Supporting Family Caregivers: No Longer Home Alone—the need for better education and resources on such topics is widespread among family caregivers:

“In a national survey of caregivers who provide unpaid care to a relative or friend, 46% reported they assisted with medical and nursing tasks. Of these, 43% said such help involved the use of assistive mobility devices, such as walkers or canes. Almost half of family caregivers are also known to provide assistance to older adults as they transfer into and out of beds and chairs in the home environment. These caregivers…typically receive little training regarding optimal mobility and safety.”

Tip sheets plus videos for caregivers.

Click here to view or share the video for the fall prevention article. Earlier articles in the No Longer Home Alone series focused on how to safely assist with mobility. The current articles on preventing falls will be followed by a series on skin and wound care.

Each article includes a tip sheet like the one pictured above, which nurses can copy and give to caregivers. The tip sheets review key points and include links to instructional videos, which are available to caregivers on AARP’s Home Alone Alliance site in both English and Spanish and can also be accessed on AJN’s website.

Other recent AJN articles and videos aimed at nurses supporting family caregivers have focused on teaching family caregivers to help with medication administration. You can freely access these and other related resources aimed at supporting and educating family caregivers. We hope you will find them useful.