Page 25 - Preventing Falls: How to Develop Community-based Fall Prevention Programs for Older Adults

Chapter 5. Raising Awareness about Your Program

CHAPTER 5

raising Awareness

About Your Program

reaching your intended audience

Different fall prevention programs will appeal to different
audiences based on factors such as format, familiarity, cost,
access, and program supports.
Key questions to ask are:

• Which specific audiences do we wish to attract?
• Will the program we’ve selected appeal to the increasingly
diverse older adult population?

• Have we selected the right venue?
• Have we identified key organizations and partners that
can help recruit or refer older adults to our program?
• Are our marketing efforts effective? Are we reaching our
target audience(s)?

• Are we enrolling the intended number of people?
• Are we retaining participants in the program once
they enroll?

Increasing public awareness

Spend time building demand for your program by increasing
awareness about fall risk factors, the importance of fall
prevention, the availability of your program and how to
access it, and fall prevention resources. Educating older
adults, their families, caregivers, and service providers about
ways to reduce falls is crucial for implementing fall prevention
programs in your community. But perhaps even more
important is offering services that meet their needs
(See Chapter 6).
There are two main types of audiences for fall prevention
education: the leaders (professionals and sometimes lay
persons), who will implement the fall prevention program,
and older adults and their informal and formal caregivers.

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