Falls and fall-related injuries are associated with great burdens, both for the individuals, the health care system and the society. The purpose of the project is to develop knowledge on falls prevention interventions for older people living in the community who receive home care. Older home care recipients, especially those who recently have experienced a fall, are an understudied group when it comes to the effect of falls-prevention programmes. The effect of a falls prevention programme on health-related quality of life is unclear.
This project comprises the implementation and evaluation of a randomised controlled trial of a falls prevention intervention for older adults in community health services in Akershus. The intervention is based on the Otago Exercise Programme. The control group receives usual care. In addition to quantitative measurements at baseline and follow-ups, qualitative interviews with users and clinicians will be performed. New knowledge on falls prevention gained from this project can be useful for clinicians, for health managers in the primary health care service and for policy makers.
