NSW Health Policy Falls Prevention †Free Samples for Students

Question: What Is The NSW Health Policy Falls Prevention? Answer: Introducation Physical activity is an important measure that older people need to engage in to stay safe and independent as they become older. The physical activity is good for both our bodies and the minds since it helps us in retaining independence and enables us to get the most out of life (Sherrington, Tiedemann, Fairhall, Close Lord, 2011). Research shows that there are various ways of reducing falls which include regular exercises among other practices that incorporate balance and leg strengthening exercises. The NSW introduced a policy that is aimed at preventing falls among the elderly in the region. This policy was formulated due to the numerous problems associated with falls in Australia which include morbidity, deaths, the high cost of dealing with fall outcomes, increased hospital bed days, disability as well as serious injuries. These results made the NSW formulate the healthcare policy falls prevention because falls injuries cost the health system than any other cause of injury, not even road accidents. Statistics show that each year in NSW there are approximately twenty-seven thousand hospitalizations and up to four hundred deaths reported. It is estimated that one in three persons at the age of sixty-five and over falls at least once or more in a year. Falls have been found to be more common among the residents of the aged care facilities. The number of falls-related cases is so high in hospitals. Extensive research has made to demonstrate that many of the falls among the elderly are preventable (Milat, Watson, Monger, Barr, Giffin Reid, 2011). Relevance of the Policy to the NSW Care System The Falls Prevention policy is aimed at reducing the incidence and also the severity of falls among the elderly persons as well as reduce economic, social and psychological impacts of the falls on the individuals, their families and the community as a whole. The policy offers statewide leadership, collaboration as well as co-ordination. The Falls Prevention policy advocates for the provision of support and resources for the application of the local health districts and also to network the Falls Prevention strategies and plans (Gormley, 2011). There are also other programs that have been put in place to support the efficient implementation of the NSW Health policy Falls Prevention which include the Harms from fall among the Older People, the Australian Commission on the Safety, and the Quality in Health Cares Falls Practice Guidelines for the Hospitals, the Community Care and the Residential Care. These resources assist the facilities to meet the requirements that are outlined in the Australian Commission on National Safety as well as the Quality Health Service Standards (Clemson, Finch, Hill Lewin, 2010). I chose to analyze the Falls Prevention policy due to the critical role it plays in the reduction and management of falls, especially among the old persons. The policy is necessary since it has offered guidelines on how to stop and manage falls hence the adverse effects on the individual, family and the community have significantly reduced among the Australian population. The NSW Health Prevention of the falls and the harm from the falls policy is a form of health promotion in clinical and patient services in aged care population health. The policy is distributed by the NSW Department of Health, Ambulance Services, Local Health Districts, and the Clinical Excellence Commission. The Prevention of Falls and the Harm from the falls among the Older Person 2011-2015 outlines the various actions that NSW Health undertakes to support the prevention of the falls and the fall-associated harm among the elderly population. The actions by the NSW Health takes place in three main areas which are; Health promotion, the NSW Health residential care services for the aged and NSW Health on clinical services. The Falls Prevention policy aims at reducing the incidence as well as the severity of the falls among the aged to reduce the economic, social and psychological effects of falls on persons, families and also the community as a whole (Mehraban, Mackenzie Byles, 2011 ). The policy was formulated in the year 2011 to replace the Fall Injury among the elderly who were a management policy aimed at reducing the severe outcomes of falls among the aged population in New South West and Australia. The policy was reviewed on 30th May 2016 making few adjustments to the original policy that was formulated in the year 2011.The policy advocated an evidence based approach of falls management (Day, Finch, Hill, Haines, Clemson, Thomas Thompson, 2010). The policy is aimed at promoting a comprehensive and systemic approach to the falls prevention and management within the NSW Health. Policy Analysis The following analysis extensively expounds on the prevention and management measures that are outlined in the Prevention of Falls and the Harm from the falls among the Older Person 2011-2015. The policy was formulated due to the high numbers of fall-related injuries among the old persons in New South Wales. Three main health factors predispose the elderly persons to the risk of falling according to the NSW health department. The first factor is the chronic health conditions that include dementia, low blood pressure and heart diseases that may cause dizziness (Dean, Rissel, Sherrington, Sharkey, Cumming, Lord ORourke, 2012). The second factor is different impairments such as muscle weakness and poor vision that contributes to falls among the old people. The third factor is the presence of illnesses that affects balance labyrinthitis which refers to the inflammation various delicate structures in the ear. These factors result in falls among the old people. The chronic health conditions listed above causes a loss of balance, loss of consciousness and fainting, the sudden feeling of dizziness could all contribute to a fall. Visual impairments and muscle weakness make it difficult for older people to prevent a fall (Australian Commission, 2017). Among the older people, the common reasons for accidentally slipping or sliding are; stairs, wet and recently polished floors like in a bathroom, dim lights, rugs and carpets that are not adequately kept and reaching for storage areas such as cupboards. The other common cause of falls among older men is the fall from a ladder as they try doing home maintenance work. In old women, falls are troublesome since osteoporosis is widespread among them which increases the chances of fractures after a fall. These falls results from injuries that have wide-reaching effects on the personal and social levels which range from personal suffering, economic, social as well as health. These adverse effects of the falls motivated the formulation of the NSW Health policy Falls Prevention to prevent better and manage the outcomes of falls among the aged population. The NSW Health policy Falls Prevention stakeholders are the government, the NSW health sector and the community since falls causes harm to the older people, and the resulting injuries pose a significant burden on the aged care system, health care, the community and the government (Watson, Clapperton Mitchell, 2011). The fall prevention policy advocates for activities that are of wide-range of the health care settings through community-based as well as population-focused initiatives (Tiedemann, Sherrington, Close Lord, 2011). There are campaigns from the media and reports by lobby groups and other stakeholders in support of the NSW Health Falls Prevention policy. The Sydney Herald has helped the policy gain public publicity through various articles that encourage the public to support in the implementation of the NSW Health policy Falls Prevention. There are leadership, coordination, and integration with the key partners to offer strategy and implementation of the policy. These lobb y and interest groups include; Clinical Excellence Commission, NSW falls prevention program group, Neuroscience Research Australia, Ambulance Service of New South Wales, NSW Agency for Clinical Innovation, Health Education and Training Institute and the Residential Aged Care Agencies. The NSW Health policy Falls Prevention has received support from the local health district networks, falls coordinators, external agencies, persons, families and caregivers. The Australian Commission on Quality and Safety in Health Care outlines the procedure for identifying the patients fall risks in the hospital. The commission states that patients should receive falls risk screening in ED or even on admission to the wards. The falls risks are assessed and actions identified. The risks identified are then managed through various activities in consultation with caregivers, families and the falls prevention policy as well as the patients health record. Falls risk should be communicated and the interventions needed. Post fall measures should be taken, and family and caregivers notified. The fall incident should be investigated and the recommendations implemented. On discharge, the commission recommends referral for follow-up services and provision of falls information as stated in the NSW Health policy Falls Prevention. Objectives and Goals The NSW Health policy Falls Prevention under section three states the nine areas of interest for NSW Health. The NSW Health should provide or make the necessary arrangements for assessment, screening and the management of the factors for fall risk among the older generation which are presented to the NSW Health services after a fall (El-Khoury, Cassou, Charles Dargent-Molina, 2013). The health service should be able to minimize the risks that occur within the facilities of NSW Health facilities. The minimization of the risk of injury if a fall occurs should be of priority through the implementation of the various recommendations that are provided from the best practice strategies for falls prevention. The policy aims at ensuring the implementation of the best practices in the management of falls risk for the older persons who are residing within the NSW Health Residential for the Aged. The policy offers support for the provision of suitable programs that facilitates exercises among the older individuals who are at the risk of falling and promotes the uptake of these programs. The policy provides information to the older persons, their families and the caregivers about the actions they should undertake to reduce the risks of falls and the various injuries from the falls. The NSW Health policy on Falls Prevention fully supports healthy and active aging through the continued backing of healthy lifestyles as well as encouraging active management of the chronic diseases that are risk factors for falls among the aged. The policy advocates for considerations and efficient responding to the specific information and the to the service needs of the various ad hoc groups. It acknowledges that due to the diversity of backgrounds, individuals experience different socio-economic disadvantages. The particular groups that require special attention to reducing the risks of falls are the people living in remote regions, persons with impaired cognitive functions, people living with disability and the older people who live in residential aged care institutions. The policy calls for identification of opportunities that are available to promote the best practices in fall prevention efforts within various external organizations and other external health and aged care prov iders. The NSW Health policy Falls Prevention offers support to the conduct and dissemination of different research aimed at improving falls prevention practice and policy (Lord, Delbaere, Tiedemann, Smith Sturnieks, 2011). The policy has support from the NSW health sector, the community, the government and international groups which have legislations that favor the existence of the Falls Prevention policy, for instance, the World Health Organization (WHO). Frameworks According to the Australian policy handbook, the NSW Health policy Falls Prevention is a viable public policy since the policy making process in this policy took into consideration legal, political, economic and social factors (Althaus, Bridgman Davis, 2012). The policy making process takes into account the available resources, the expected impact of the policy, demand, and supply. The crucial question to ask is, did the policy fulfill the expectations? (Althaus et al. 2012). As discussed earlier, the policy is aimed at reducing the incidence of fall and severity of falls among the older generation. The second primary goal is to reduce the economic, social and psychological effect of falls among the aged on individuals, their families, community and the government (Dinh, McNamara, Bein, Roncal, Barnes, McBride Byrne, 2013). Economic Framework Falls create significant costs for the individuals, families, community, health care and aged care systems, and the government (Church, Goodall, Norman Haas, 2011). Hospital stays and also rehabilitation after a fall is long and expensive. One of the main reasons for early residential care admission is having a recent fall. Evidence shows that in NSW fall injuries have the highest cost of the health system (Clinical Excellence Commission, (nd). In the year 2006/07, the cost of the healthcare related to fall injury among the older people was around $558.5 million. The cases of falls admitted to the hospital were 84.5% of all the total costs, and the ED presentations were 9% of the total costs (Church, Goodall, Norman Haas, 2012). The NSW health policy has helped in reduction of these figures hence reducing the financial burden. Social Framework Fall injuries cause morbidity and mortality among the older generation. In the year 2009, it was estimated that 26% of the residents of NSW aged about 65 years and above fell at least once. Statistics show that there are at least twenty-seven thousands of hospitalizations each year and four hundred deaths among the older generation each year. Residents of aged care facilities are at a higher risk than other people (NIH Senior Health, nd). Studies show that even the non-injurious falls result into adverse effects of activity restriction and loss of confidence. Falls are the most reported adverse event among the hospital inpatients. Political Framework The government in conjunction with other stakeholders in the health of the aged facilitated the formulation of the NSW Health Policy Falls prevention. As outlined in the Australian policy handbook, the policy makers should act strategically in conjunction with the leadership to make sense of the problem and try to eradicate it. The NSW authority saw that there were increased cases of falls among the older population hence initiated the formulation of the NSW Health Policy Falls prevention (Lord, Sherrington, Cameron Close, 2011). The NSW continues to support the NSW Health Policy Falls prevention through various ways like lobbying for international support as well as offering financial assistance to facilitate implementation of this policy. Recommendations For Change (Conclusion) Individuals, families, the community, media, lobby groups. NSW Health sector and the government have done exceptionally well in the prevention of falls among the aged population. However, there is so much that needs to be done to ensure that our senior citizens do not perish just because of falls that can be prevented. Everybody has a contribution to make in the reduction of falls among the older people (Hospital Healthcare, 2017). Reduction of Chronic Illnesses The policy should be revised to incorporate measures aimed at reducing the chronic diseases among the older generation. Since chronic diseases are the cause of loss of balance and stability, the stakeholders should ensure that the older people are given proper treatment and management to reduce the chronic diseases that may cause lack of balance and instability among the older generations (Edwards, 2011). The government should subsidize the medications that are needed to eradicate these illnesses or offer financial support to enable payment of hospital bills to the poor older people so that these diseases can be eliminated to reduce the risk of falling. Physical Activity Physical activity helps in the prevention of falls since it strengthens muscles, bones and enhances balance (Clemson, Singh, Bundy, Cumming, Manollaras, OLoughlin Black, 2012). A range of exercise programs that target balance and offer ongoing activities should be applied in the prevention of falls among the older generation. These programs should be tailored to suit the needs of the target population to make sure that they offer challenging exercises that are safe (Gschwind, Kressig, Lacroix, Muehlbauer, Pfenninger Granacher, 2013). The aged care facilities should employ physical activity expert to guide the elderly on the procedures that are to be followed for sufficient physical activity. Improvement of Residential and Care Homes The residential dwelling of the old people, as well as the aged care facilities, should be improved and made safe. The facilities should befall risk-free to ensure the safety of the elderly persons. The floor should be modified to reduce the risk of slippery; the stairs should be changed to be user-friendly to the elderly individuals who cannot be able to use steep staircases. The rugs should be correctly placed and any other items which would make the old fall. Financial Support Many falls are due to lack of protective measures. The poor aged persons usually are not able to take the risk prevention measures since these actions may require a lot of money, for instance, hiring a caregiver or improving the lifestyle which is one of the many steps to be taken in fall prevention (Merom, Pye, Macniven, van der Ploeg, Milat, Sherrington Bauman, 2012). The government and the other stakeholders should ensure the old persons get sufficient pension to enable them to improve the quality of life and reduce fall occurrences. The government should also pass policies that allow subsidization of the health care services to the poor old persons. References Althaus, C., Bridgman, P., Davis, G. (2012). The Australian policy handbook. Allen Unwin. Australian Commission, (2017). Falls Prevention. [Online] Available at: https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/our-work/falls-prevention/ [Accessed 13 May.2017] Church, J., Goodall, S., Norman, R., Haas, M. (2011). An economic evaluation of community and residential aged care falls prevention strategies in NSW. New South Wales public health bulletin, 22(4), 60-68. Church, J., Goodall, S., Norman, R., Haas, M. (2012). The cost?effectiveness of falls prevention interventions for older community?dwelling Australians. Australian and New Zealand journal of public health, 36(3), 241-248. Clemson, L., Finch, C. F., Hill, K. D., Lewin, G. (2010). Fall prevention in Australia: policies and activities. Clinics in geriatric medicine, 26(4), 733-749. Clemson, L., Singh, M. A. F., Bundy, A., Cumming, R. G., Manollaras, K., OLoughlin, P., Black, D. (2012). Integration of balance and strength training into daily life activity to reduce rate of falls in older people (the LiFE study): randomised parallel trial. Bmj, 345, e4547. Clinical Excellence Commission, (nd). Falls Prevention in Hospitals. [Online] Available at: https://www.cec.health.nsw.gov.au/patient-safety-programs/adult-patient-safety/falls-prevention/falls-prevention-hospitals/ [Accessed 13 May.2017] Day, L., Finch, C. F., Hill, K. D., Haines, T. P., Clemson, L., Thomas, M., Thompson, C. (2010). A protocol for evidence-based targeting and evaluation of statewide strategies for preventing falls among community-dwelling older people in Victoria, Australia. Injury Prevention, ip-2010. Dean, C. 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