Transitioning Towards a Virtual Falls Prevention Program for Frail Seniors: Learning from the Experiences of Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic*.
Background: The literature to date is unable to clearly characterize the appropriateness of virtual care for falls prevention services from the patient perspective. In response to COVID-19, the Falls Prevention Program (FPP) at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre was modified to include virtual compon...
| Published in: | Canadian Geriatrics Journal Vol. 27; no. 2; pp. 141 - 152 |
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Published: |
Canadian Geriatrics Society
Jun2024
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=181712961&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ccm uiTerm: 181712961 longDbName: CINAHL Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: dissinfo: jinfo: jid: 19258348 EV2Z jtl: Canadian Geriatrics Journal issn: 19258348 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Jun2024 vid: 27 iid: 2 pid: 76420 pub: Canadian Geriatrics Society place: Markham, Ontario artinfo: ui: 181712961 10.5770/cgj.27.722 181712961 ppf: 141 ppct: 11 formats: fmt: – @attributes: type: T – @attributes: type: P tig: atl: Transitioning Towards a Virtual Falls Prevention Program for Frail Seniors: Learning from the Experiences of Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic*. aug: au: Weiss, Sophie M. Kalocsai, Csilla Liu, Barbara Norris, Mireille affil: University of Toronto Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Toronto, ON, Canada sug: ab: Background: The literature to date is unable to clearly characterize the appropriateness of virtual care for falls prevention services from the patient perspective. In response to COVID-19, the Falls Prevention Program (FPP) at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre was modified to include virtual components. We set out to uncover the experiences of this unique older-adult patient population to inform FPP quality improvement and appropriate incorporation of technology post-pandemic. Methods: FPP patients during the COVID-19 pandemic (February 2020 – February 2022) and their primary caregivers met inclusion criteria. Out of 18 eligible patients, 10 consented to participate in 20-minute, semi-structured telephone interviews conducted and transcribed by the first author. Inductive coding followed by theme generation occurred through collaborative analysis. Results: The participants (n=10) were 60% female, mean age 84 years (SD 5.8), 60% living alone, and 70% university educated. We generated three main themes: 1) First Steps First, revealed a common desire for physical and mental support and the perceived essentials of a successful FPP highlighting the importance of program length and individualized attention; 2) Overcoming Obstacles, highlighted participants' experiences overcoming barriers with technology in the context of an isolating pandemic; and 3) Advancing Care Post-Pandemic, elaborated on the appropriateness of virtual care and delved into the importance of program personalization. Conclusion: The interviewed older adults revealed agreement on the FPP's necessity and the importance of increasing program length, one-on-one interaction, and program flexibility for unique patient needs. Incorporating virtual assessment prior to in-person exercises was largely favoured and should be considered as an appropriate use of technology post-pandemic. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Journal Article ougenre: Article language: English refInfo: holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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