Ontario Fall Prevention Collaborative

Note: The Ontario Fall Prevention Collaborative is currently on hiatus until funding is resumed. For more information, contact info@parachute.ca.

The Ontario Fall Prevention Collaborative is a diverse group of health and social service practitioners and clinicians from across Ontario who come together to share information, analyze trends and respond collectively to the need for change and innovation in fall prevention among older adults.

Vision, purpose and priorities

In June 2021, the Collaborative formalized its vision, purpose, priorities and structure as follows:

Vision: Adults and older adults in Ontario live independent and healthy lives through a coordinated, integrated and systems approach to preventing falls regardless of where they live.

Purpose: To convene broad expertise to identify and co-design strategies, processes and indicators to influence policy, practice, implementation and evaluation of fall prevention interventions and services for older adults in Ontario.

Priorities and OFPC Membership Benefits

A. Build capacity in the workforce

sharing resources
keeping on top of latest developments
networking
access to expertise
referral network for seamless service delivery for providers, older adults and their families

B. Advance excellence in fall prevention practice

identifying best practices and implementation supports through OFPC members’ work
align OFPC members’ work with other key stakeholders for a system wide approach to fall prevention among older adults in Ontario
co-design strategies, processes and indicators for a comprehensive, cohesive system approach to fall prevention

C. Influence policy to prioritize fall prevention among older adults

raise awareness provincially about fall prevention in older adults.
raise awareness that optimal ageing is a key strategy for the prevention of injurious falls
influence policy for general health and social services for older adults equitably across the province
identify issues and priorities at the provincial level that support the work of all stakeholders
collectively design solutions to streamline service provision

We are always looking for new members: Please connect with us to join the Collaborative (info@parachute.ca)

Knowledge synthesis

The Collaborative identifies systemic issues in fall prevention in older adults and synthesizes evidence and experience to identify solutions that can be adopted and adapted across sectors, and regionally and/or locally in Ontario.

The Collaborative has completed two environmental scans of priority issues identified by member organizations. These identify the current state of fall indicators and fall risk screening and assessment tools relevant to fall prevention practice. The environmental scans are available in the Resources section at the bottom of the page.

Stakeholder input and consultations

The Collaborative completed the second phase of its work by contributing to a prioritized list of fall indicators led by Public Health Ontario as well as a review of clinical practice guidelines for fall risk screening and assessment and interviews with key stakeholders in Ontario and other jurisdictions to explore current fall risk screening and assessment practices, capacity and gaps. Recommendation for actions were provided and were discussed during consultations with Ontario stakeholders in the Winter and Spring 2023 (see Resources below for the report).

The first consultation took place in January 2023 with Ontario practitioners and clinicians working in primary care settings. The second consultation took place in March 2023 with practitioners and clinicians working in Ontario Health Teams. A third consultation took place in May 2023 with organizations and practitioners working in social services and community settings, including public health. Priorities for action and implementation were identified to inform next steps with the goal of providing Ontario-wide recommendations for a system based seamless approach to fall prevention. A Working Group was formed to operationalize these recommendations for review by the Collaborative in September. Stay tuned for more information.

Collective voice

The Collaborative is well positioned to provide expertise and collective solutions to guide the development of an integrated, co-ordinated and effective approach to fall prevention among older adults in Ontario. The Collaborative has previously informed the Premier’s Council on Ending Hallway Medicine through its position paper, An Integrated Approach to Preventing Fall-Related Injuries among Older Adults in Ontario.

The Collaborative also provided input to the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care to inform the development of fall prevention protocols for older adults living in community dwellings.