Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Date of Award

Spring 5-2019

Degree Name

Master of Public Health (MPH)

Advisor(s)

Andrew Springer, Drph

Second Advisor

Christine Markham, Phd

Abstract

Falls are a significant problem for the geriatric population globally. As the population ages and elderly people continue to live longer with co-morbidites, they will continue to be at risk for falls. While several community-based fall prevention programs exist, they face chal lenges with sustainability. This paper is a narrative review of factors that contribute to the sustainability of community-based fall prevention programs as well as barriers to sustainabil ity. In total eight papers were included in this review. Findings from this review indicated that the following factors were keys to sustainability of community-based fall prevention pro grams: funding, external partnerships, external capacity/organization, program flexibility, community advertising and political support/policy change. The barriers that were identified in the research included funding/financial cost, frequently changing staff, lack of clear lead ership and lack of a mandate that addresses fall prevention. Findings from this review demonstrate that future research is necessary to further understand and implement best practices for sustaining community-based fall prevention programs for the geriatric population.

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