Education should include, at a minimum, the following key elements:49
• Definition of a fall;
• Statistics on falls – frequency, outcomes and costs to the healthcare system;
• Impact on quality of life, autonomy, “dignity of risk” – ethical dilemmas;
• Fall risk assessment, including use of evidence-based fall assessment tools;
• Risk factors – intrinsic and extrinsic – associated with falling;
• Multi-factorial, interdisciplinary fall prevention/injury reduction strategies;
• Alternatives to restraints;50 and
• Risk management including post-fall follow-up.