What's New at NWAHEC

Falls Screening Program Reaching Far and Wide to 17 States

Written by Leslie D McDowell, DNP, ANP-BC, RN | May 5, 2022 1:28:00 PM

To meet an identified gap for clinical team members in ambulatory / primary care, Northwest AHEC developed an interactive, online, self-paced accredited program on the topic of Falls Screening, Risk Assessment and Care Planning.

The activity has been available since summer of 2021, with 159 registrants to date. Development of the activity was supported with funds from Carolina Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program (CGWEP). The activity aligned with needs identified within a national professional society (the American Association of Ambulatory Care Nurses) for this type of education, and thereby reached a wider audience.

Registrations have come from far and wide - 17 states, across 5 disciplines (Allied Health, Medicine, Mental Health, Nursing and Public Health) and 20 different occupations.

Falls continue to be a national public health concern. As a clinician working in an outpatient setting, are you confident in how and when to appropriately screen patients for falls?  

Do you know: 

  • What to do when they screen positive?  
  • How to determine their risk for falling again?  Why that matters? 
  • What else you can do to help?  


The UNC Center for Aging and Health, Carolina Geriatric Education Center provided support for this activity and there is no fee
Upon completion of the online event and evaluation, 1.0 Nursing Contact Hour may be awarded. Northwest Area Health Education Center (NWAHEC) is approved as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the North Carolina Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. 

 

Download Brochure

Register for this Program

 

Other Resources:

  • NCOA's Falls Free Check-Up: (English and Spanish versions), a digital tool that provides a personalized overview of falls risk factors and ways to address them. 
  • Falls Prevention Conversation Guide: English (link to guide)
  • The Role of a Physical Therapist in Healthy Again: English (link to article)