Faculty Advisor(s)
Ariana Belles
Files
Abstract
The aging population is expected to grow to 2 billion worldwide by 2050 (Rosado et al., 2021). Aging is classified as a determinant risk factor for falls and fall-related injuries (Rosado et al., 2021). This capstone project aimed to promote understanding and address fall prevention in the older adult population with multiple stakeholders throughout the Dallas, Pennsylvania community. Project goals included developing community partnerships, providing education and addressing wellness and health equity among community-dwelling older adults through multifaceted interventions. The literature search yielded a synthesis and analysis of current evidence focused on community-based fall programming, adding to the body of OT literature and supporting the development of a unique multimodal capstone. A focus on quality improvement ensured measurement of client outcomes to assess the value and sustainability of the program. The methods for the fall prevention program included group education and occupation-based exercises focusing on strength and balance for the purpose of preventing falls in their daily occupations. The outcome measures included a pre/post test of the Senior Fitness Test, Falls Efficacy Scale International, author-created formative and summative evaluations, and a modified version of the Interprofessional Attitudes Scale. Additionally, a collaborative interprofessional education event was offered to health-allied students among partnering universities to support continuing education for allied health students. The Interprofessional Attitudes Scale was modified and used as a pre/post test outcome measure for this capstone component. Disciplines represented included physical therapy, social work, speech language pathology, pharmacy, and sonography. The educational event supported student learning across themes of teamwork roles and responsibilities, patient centeredness, interprofessional biases, diversity and ethics, community centeredness. Attendees will learn about the development and implementation of the entry-level doctoral capstone and the resulting outcomes, explore the components of developing an entry-level doctoral capstone project and verbalize the benefits of interprofessional education in preparing students to meet the needs of older adults.
Publication Date
2025
Document Type
Poster
Department
Occupational Therapy
Keywords
fall prevention, occupational therapy, older adults, interprofessional education, community wellness, leadership, program development
Disciplines
Medicine and Health Sciences | Occupational Therapy | Rehabilitation and Therapy
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
McWithey, Edward R., "Know More Falling: Community-Based Fall Prevention" (2025). Entry Level Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstone Projects Class of 2025. 3.
https://digitalcommons.misericordia.edu/otd_capstone2025/3