Page 38 - Preventing Falls: How to Develop Community-based Fall Prevention Programs for Older Adults
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Appendix E — Template for Developing a Sustainability Plan
A GUIDE TO IMPLEMENTING EFFECTIVE COMMUNITY-BASED FALL PREVENTION PROGRAMS
Why evaluate? • Produce facts and figures to demonstrate
positive outcomes
It is essential for CBOs to incorporate
evaluation activities into a fall prevention • Share the results in publications and
program. Organizations need objective presentations
measures to show whether their fall • Attract and retain program partners
prevention programs are benefiting and stakeholders
participants. Evaluating a program and its • Make program improvements based
effects are the keys to demonstrating a on documented program strengths
program’s value. Many funding organizations and weaknesses
consider objective evaluations in
determining whether to fund or continue • Seek continued or additional funding for
funding CBO programs. Program evaluation long term sustainability or expansion
also allows other public health programs to Evaluation is an ongoing process that should
learn from their successes and challenges. begin as soon as an organization decides
Using evaluation results, program managers to implement a program and continues
and staff can: throughout the life of the program. The
earlier the evaluation process begins, the
• Show that the program is benefiting older fewer mistakes are made and the greater the
adults in the community likelihood of success. For a fall prevention
• Show funding agencies that the program program to show success, evaluation must be
is worth the investment an integral part of its design and operation,
and evaluation activities must be part of the
program activities.
Measuring program
effectiveness
Evidence-based fall prevention programs
were shown in the original research studies
to reduce falls. Therefore, it is not necessary
or recommended that you use participants’
self-reported falls as an outcome measure.
However, the effectiveness of a fall prevention
program can be measured by intermediate
outcomes, such as improvements in
functional abilities, improved balance, and
greater self-confidence.
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