Pain is something no one wants to endure. Any time we experience pain, we immediately look for ways to make it stop.

But what if we worked to prevent pain from happening, and used those same techniques to manage pain when it does inevitably rear its ugly head?

The goal of a comprehensive, holistic pain management program is to promote consistent participation in activities, exercise, and education to enhance quality of life. This concept merges both traditional western and eastern medicine principles. Western medicine traditionally views the mind and body as separate entities. Eastern medicine is an art that views the mind and body as one.

Many of us may have pain conditions that are not reversible. A comprehensive and holistic pain management program, such as our Pathways to Chi program, focuses on approaches that allow participants to increase their engagement in meaningful activities while managing their chronic conditions.

Chi is energy which provides human bodies with circulation, nutrition, and minerals needed to thrive. In traditional Chinese medicine, Chi is referred to as “life force” and a measurement of vitality. Integrating Chi into your routine can help you feel more alive, alert, and present. This, in turn, can help you overcome illness and pain, increase vibrancy, and enhance mental ability.

How to Find Your Inner Chi – massage, trigger point release, meditation, guided imagery, Yoga, Tai Chi, Ai Chi (water Tai Chi), are just a few of the ways to find your chi.

For more information on Pathways to Chi or how to use eastern medicine to help manage your pain and enhance vibrancy, contact the Functional Pathways Therapy Team!

Falls can be especially dangerous for older adults, often causing fractures, hospitalization, and disability. The risk of falling increases with age, leaving senior populations vulnerable and posing a serious threat to health, longevity, and independence for older adults.

The senior population at greatest risk for loss of function or loss of life after a fall are residents age 85 and older. The average age of assisted living residents is 84. Though most facilities allow patients as young as 65, 52% of residents are over 85, and 30% are between 75 and 84. This also presents a risk to assisted living and independent living communities where older adults reside, as falls are a major contributor to hospitalizations among seniors. Reducing hospitalizations is a primary goal in most communities. The good news is that many falls are avoidable.

More than one in four people age 65 years or older fall each year, and half of those will end up falling again within six months. That’s over 3 million falls per year, with half of all those being fatal and over 87% requiring emergency room treatment. Of those hospitalizations, 50% require surgery to repair hip fractures.

It’s fair to say that having a holistic, resident-centered fall assessment and senior fall prevention program in place is critical to both residents and community operators.

Studies show that fall risks are multifactorial and that effective fall prevention programs are lacking in most communities. Most organizations don’t offer specialized, clinical therapies aimed specifically at reducing the risk of falls among senior living populations. Higher-risk populations, such as frail, injured, and post-surgical individuals, require specialized clinical programming not widely found in today’s communities, and home health programs often don’t address these individuals from a clinical standpoint. As a result, the lack of a universal fall screening and prevention program within senior living communities is the root cause of falls.

According to The Joint Commission, the frequency and severity of senior falls can be attributed to six leading contributors:

• Inadequate fall assessment
• Lack of adherence to safety practices
• Inadequate care management/not having proper access to skilled therapy
• Deficiencies in the physical environment (surroundings presenting a risk)
• Lack of action by leadership

To be successful, community leaders must make fall prevention screening and clinical programs accessible to residents on demand, and in the convenience of their homes.  Falls are preventable with the right programs, including regular resident risk assessments and clinical outcome-based programs. Functional Pathways offers a multitude of fall prevention and Core4 specialty therapy programs like Be Steady and Aqua therapy, along with balance assessments and fit tests to assess risk factors and recommend therapy and wellness programs to residents who are at risk.

Our next blog in this two-part Fall Prevention series discusses proven ways for senior community leaders to reduce falls. For more information on fall prevention programs for your CCRC or AL/IL community, click here.

Falls are the leading cause of injury-related deaths among persons aged 65 and older. The rate of deaths from falls among persons 65 and older increased 30% in the years 2009 to 2018 according to the CDC. Over 36,000 adults aged 65 and older died as a result of a preventable fall in 2020. As this age population continues to grow, we should be able to implement strategies to address the increased fall rate. This can be addressed by screening for fall risk and intervening to address any modifiable risk factors such as duplicate medications, gait, strength, and balance issues. All of this is explored and outlined in our comprehensive Fall Risk Reduction Plan called Be-Steady.

Let’s look at some sobering statistics:

• More than one out of four older people fall each year, but less than half report this to their healthcare provider.
• One fall doubles the chance of falling again.
• Falling is a billion-dollar business. In 2015, the total medical costs for falls reached more than $50 billion.

According to a report from Industrial Safety & Hygiene News, a typical, 100-bed nursing home reports at least 100-200 falls per year. Falls are responsible for almost 800,00 hospitalizations or transfers to special care each year. Only 50% of those with a serious fall will be alive one year later. Many people who fall, even if they are not injured, will become afraid of falling. This fear may start a dangerous cascade and cause a person to cut down on their everyday activities. When a person is less active, they become weaker, and in turn, may increase the likelihood of a fall creating a vicious cycle.

Certain diagnoses, medications, and conditions will increase the likelihood of an injury if a person falls. The key risk factors that increase the chance of significant injury include history of falls, patients needing assistance with ambulation or use of assist device, a diagnosis of osteoporosis, and certain medications. Consider the individual who routinely takes a prescribed anticoagulant for a known medical diagnosis. Those patients require thorough assessment if they have a fall, and late onset injuries are known to occur up to 72 hours after a fall in persons taking anticoagulants. A complete falls risk assessment is imperative to identify those patients at higher risk for injury and should also include review of cognitive status, as well as routine lab values. This should be a comprehensive review.

Fall reduction strategies are not a one-time assessment; it is an ongoing process. As patient status changes or medication changes occur, a falls risk reassessment is necessary. This will help ensure that all factors are considered when creating an individualized fall safe plan for each patient.

A good fall reduction program will include all team members, will require interdisciplinary participation, and education to patient and family. Reach out to the Functional Pathways and Peak Senior Living teams today to learn more about our Be-Steady program and don’t fall behind on patient safety initiatives.

Resources:

CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 5/11/18

LTC Blog: Long Term Care Statistic You Need to Know in 2018 10/3/18

AHRQ Patient Safety Network September 2019