Understanding the profile of Personal Alert Victoria clients who fall

Exploring patterns of personal alarm system use and impacts on outcomes

OBJECTIVES

To describe the patterns of personal emergency response systems (PERS) use in a statewide cohort of older Australians.

METHODS

PERS data from clients enrolled in the Personal Alarm Victoria program between January 2014 and June 2017 were analysed. Alarm activation reasons were extracted, and a medical record audit was performed for a sub-cohort of patients admitted to a local hospital following an alarm event. Descriptive statistics were used.

RESULTS

There were 42,180 clients enrolled during the study (mean age 80 years, 80% female, 93% living alone). An ambulance attended 44% of the fall-related events and 81% of events coded as unwell. Activation reasons were distributed equally between a fall and feeling unwell, and a repeating pattern of activation reasons was observed. In our sub-cohort (n = 92), the majority of admissions (86%) followed an alarm activation coded as unwell.

CONCLUSION

We demonstrated recurring patterns associated with the reasons for alarm use.

Perceptions of falls and falls prevention interventions among Personal Alert Victoria clients

This paper explores the perceptions and experiences of falls among Personal Alert Victoria (PAV) clients and identifies barriers and enablers to engagement in falls prevention interventions. Data were collected via semistructured telephone interviews (n = 12) and a client survey with open-ended and closed-ended questions (n = 46). Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis was guided by the COM-B model (capability, opportunity, and motivation) for behaviour change. The interview and survey explored experiences of falls, falls risk factors, access and participation in falls prevention interventions, access to health and support services, and experiences using the PAV service. Capability barriers identified included poor health, lack of time, low health literacy, and perceived high intensity of exercise classes. Opportunity barriers were lack of transport, high cost, and long waiting times for falls prevention interventions. Motivation barriers were the belief that falls are inevitable and a perceived lack of relevance of falls prevention interventions. Enablers identified were a focus on broader health and well-being benefits (capability), hospitalisations or rehabilitation that incorporates falls prevention in recovery (opportunity), and raising awareness of falls risk (motivation). Findings suggest that further research is required to inform the tailoring of positive health messages to improve the uptake of falls prevention interventions by PAV clients.