This October, IPSC would like to encourage you to take a moment to focus on GET UP – a cross cutting strategy aimed at increasing mobility to decrease harm. One of the harms that it works to eliminate is falls. A patient fall is an unplanned descent to the floor ,or extension of the floor, with or without injury to the patient, according to the American Nurses Association (ANA). The ANA states that all types of falls are to be included whether they result from physiological or environmental reasons, and that assisted falls, such as when a staff member attempts to minimize the impact of the fall, should also be counted.

To help us better understand falls around the state, please complete this quick, two-minute, Falls Checklist for us by Oct. 27. Results of this survey will remain anonymous. 

IHA and the Health Research and Educational Trust (HRET), among others, provide Tricks and Treats to help with your work against falls. Check out these resources to compliment your efforts:

• IHA’s Mobility and Falls Prevention Page

• IHA’s GET UP Resources, including resource page and pre-written social media  

• HRET’s GET UP page

Learn more about GET UP on the HRET or IHA website and join us on Oct. 31 for the second GET UP webinar for more tricks and treats when it comes to improving mobility. 

If you are having issues accessing the checklist survey or have more questions about falls and the GET UP campaign please contact Madeline Wilson, mwilson@IHAconnect.org, or Cynthia Roush, croush@IHAconnect.org.