Views and experiences of older people taking part in a safe-falling training program: Lessons learned from the FAlling Safely Training (FAST) trial.

BACKGROUND

While falls are the leading cause of accidental injury among older people, the current fall prevention strategies have not resulted in a remarkable reduction in fall rates. An alternative novel approach, teaching older adults how to fall safely to prevent injury, has been recently implemented in the FAlling Safely Training (FAST) trial. The current study aimed to explore the views and perceptions of older people about their participation in the safe-falling training program.

METHODS

Focus groups were conducted with eight community-dwelling older adults (age range: 66 to 76 years, five females) at risk of falling who completed the FAST program. Two focus groups involving four participants each were conducted. Recordings were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Three themes were identified following the analysis: (1) Before the training; with subthemes: Previous fall prevention strategies and Motivation to participate. Motivations to take part in the training included worries about falling, an awareness of an increased risk of falling, and a desire to decrease the chances of sustaining an injury. (2) Training itself; with subthemes: General impressions of the training and Learning the techniques. Older people highlighted that the training was well-designed and executed. (3) Going forward; with subthemes: Training increased confidence, Incorporating in a community setting, and Proposing improvements to the study. It was reported that the training enhanced participants' confidence about falling without injury. Incorporating the training into a community context was discussed, and suggestions for program enhancements were made. The individual nature of the training was valued, but participants also provided suggestions for how they would see the program taking place successfully in small groups.

CONCLUSIONS

The results indicated that the safe-falling training was acceptable to older adults. The perceived ability to fall without injury was reported to have increased. Individuals who experienced a fall after the training ended reported being able to use the techniques learned in their daily life. The findings have implications for the training to be refined and implemented in the community.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The article is linked to a randomized controlled trial registered at http://ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05260034).