Department of Occupational Therapy Education, School of Health Professions, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA.
Mobility Core, University of Kansas Center for Community Access, Rehabilitation Research, Education and Service, Kansas City, KS, USA.
BMC Geriatr. 2024 Oct 11;24(1):818. doi: 10.1186/s12877-024-05382-7.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The article is linked to a randomized controlled trial registered at http://ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05260034).
虽然跌倒仍是老年人意外伤害的主要原因，但目前的预防跌倒策略并未显著降低跌倒率。一种新的替代方法，即教导老年人如何安全跌倒以防止受伤，最近已在 FAlling Safely Training (FAST) 试验中实施。本研究旨在探讨老年人对参与安全跌倒训练计划的看法和感受。
对参加 FAST 计划的有跌倒风险的 8 名社区居住的老年人（年龄 66 至 76 岁，5 名女性）进行了焦点小组讨论。共进行了两组各 4 名参与者的焦点小组讨论。对录音进行了逐字转录，并使用主题分析进行了分析。
分析后确定了三个主题：（1）训练前；包括：以前的跌倒预防策略和参与动机。参与培训的动机包括对跌倒的担忧、意识到跌倒风险增加以及减少受伤机会的愿望。（2）训练本身；包括：对训练的总体印象和学习技巧。老年人强调，训练设计和执行得很好。（3）向前发展；包括：训练增强了信心、在社区环境中实施以及对研究提出改进建议。报告称，该训练增强了参与者对无伤害跌倒的信心。讨论了将培训纳入社区环境的问题，并提出了对项目改进的建议。虽然个体培训的性质受到重视，但参与者还提出了他们希望如何在小团体中成功开展该计划的建议。
结果表明，安全跌倒训练对老年人是可以接受的。报告称，跌倒而不受伤的能力有所提高。在训练结束后经历跌倒的个人报告说，他们能够在日常生活中使用所学的技术。研究结果对在社区中进行培训和改进具有启示意义。
该文章链接到在 http://ClinicalTrials.gov 注册的一项随机对照试验（NCT05260034）。
