Occupational therapy‐led environmental assessment and modification—A quantitative evaluation of a pilot implementation study in a regional/rural setting

Checking an older person's home for fall risks can help lower their chances of falling by about 38%, especially if they are more likely to fall. People may be at higher risk because of how they do certain tasks, the tasks themselves, hazards in the environment, health issues, or a mix of these things. An occupational therapist does the assessment by watching the older person do daily tasks, like getting dressed or doing chores. This helps to find out what might cause a fall. The therapist then talks with the person about which activities they feel are most risky, asks for their ideas on how to stay safe, and helps them to make a plan. The therapist also checks in later to help put the plan into action. In this study, we trained therapists to do this kind of fall check. We looked at whether occupational therapists followed the training, if the right people were offered the assessment, and if it was still used after the project ended. We found that therapists did the assessments as they were trained to and with the people who needed them most. The therapists also kept doing the assessments after the project was over. This likely helped reduce falls.