Student-led program targets rural senior falls
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A new program led by James Cook University researchers is taking a proactive approach to the costly problem of falls among older Australians, which costs the healthcare system an estimated $2.3 billion each year. Under the initiative, occupational therapy students conduct home assessments in rural communities to spot and reduce fall risks for elderly residents.
Dr Asmita Mudholkar, Senior Academic Lead at James Cook University’s Central Queensland Centre for Rural & Remote Health, said that a third of adults over 65 who are living independently in the community suffer falls each year. According to her, these falls lead to significant hospitalisations, with 73% of fall-related admissions involving older adults in community dwellings.
“Despite the clear evidence about the effectiveness of falls prevention interventions, little is known about how to identify and reach people who are at risk and also how to deliver these interventions in the community, especially in rural areas,” said Dr Mudholkar. In partnership with A/Prof Kehinde Obamiro and Stephanie Burke, Dr Mudholkar developed a student-led approach in Emerald, QLD, where two Occupational Therapy students identified 40 older people at high risk of falling.
“We designed a study to test the effectiveness of a student-led program in identifying community-dwelling elderly people at high risk for falls in rural and remote areas,” said Dr Mudholkar. The students then conducted home visits to pinpoint and mitigate risks—such as unsafe equipment use and environmental hazards—while offering solutions like better supervision, support, and alerts.
“Several risk factors for falls were identified, including unsafe use of equipment, absence of Medi alerts, insufficient supervision, lack of support, inappropriate footwear, behavioural concerns and environmental hazards,” Dr Mudholkar said. “Most participants said the home assessment was valuable and made their homes safer.”
By recruiting through the Emerald Medical Group and local aged care organisations in the Central Highlands region, the initiative provides a model for reaching older adults in areas where healthcare resources may be limited. “There is great potential here for proactive interventions before falls occur,” Dr Mudholkar said.
Ritchelle is a Content Producer for Healthcare Channel, Australia’s premier resource of information for healthcare.
