This conference, presented by The Saskatoon Falls Prevention Consortium, in partnership with Continuing Physical Therapy Education, University of Saskatchewan, provided an evidence-based update on the interdisciplinary approach to the prevention of falls in older adults in three primary practice areas: acute care, long term care and community care.  Keynote speakers included Professor Marcia Carr, Dr. Dorothy Baker and Dr. Stephen Robinovitch.  For more information on these individuals see the Keynote Speakers page.

Conference objectives were:

1. To provide a common meeting ground to exchange knowledge and ideas among all stakeholders in fall prevention including practitioners, policy-makers, and researchers.
2. To provide current research findings related to fall prevention initiatives and fall risk assessment in the areas of acute care, long term care and community care.
3. To identify and showcase current "best practice" and new innovative ideas in screening and delivery of fall risk and fall prevention.
4. To inspire further development of fall prevention strategies and to encourage potential partnerships and collaboration to advance fall prevention in Saskatchewan and world-wide.

Target Audience:

The audience for the conference included a wide scope of individuals who are involved in the prevention of falls at a community or institutional setting. This includes, but is not limited to researchers, representatives from government or funding agencies, physical therapists, recreation therapists, nurses, occupational therapists, social workers, paramedics, personal care workers, long term or acute care aids, chiropractors, dietitians, exercise therapists, massage therapists,  pharmacists, physicians, psychologists, members of organizations supporting older adult wellness and public health. 

If you have specific questions about the conference, please contact Pat Tremaine, Course Coordinator via email at pat.tremaine@usask.ca or call (306) 966-2043.

Saskatchewan Falls Collaborative - A Call to Action

Interested interdisciplinary teams from Saskatchewan's home care and long term care settings are invited to join the Saskatchewan Falls Collaborative.  The goal is to help Saskatchewan's health regions reduce falls and injury form falls for this patient population by at least 20% by March 2012.

Through a virtual learning program, the Falls Collaborative helps to close the gap between what we know and what we apply.  It brings together teams that share a commitment to making significant and rapid changes to achieve results.  Teams attend three learning sessions over a ten-month period and are supported by expert faculty between sessions.  Participation in this Collaborative provides an opportunity for teams to try new ideas that will contribute to the achievement of fall prevention goals.  

There is no cost to enrol, attend Learning Sessions, and access Collaborative support.

For more information, view the "Call to Action" or contact Angela Thiessen at angela.thiessen@hqca.ca to request an Enrolment Package.