Falls Prevention Through Interprofessional Education: Enhancing Awareness and Collaboration Among Healthcare Learners and Underserved Older Adults

Falls are a leading cause of injury and death in older adults in the U.S.1, requiring multifactorial prevention strategies. Interprofessional education (IPE) and collaborative practice (IPC) equip healthcare learners to address such complex issues through team-based care.Goals, objectives, and purpose: This community-based IPE/IPC event aimed to promote falls awareness in an underserved older adult community, enhance interprofessional collaboration among healthcare learners, and strengthen ties between MCPHS and the local community. Goals included increasing awareness of falls prevention, engaging learners, promoting MCPHS clinics, and providing a nutritious meal to at-risk populations.Methods/Methodology: The event hosted 25 older adults from local senior centers and a HUD-designated low-income retirement community7. Participants attended a falls awareness presentation by students from Optometry, Pharmacy, and Physical Therapy programs, followed by a catered lunch. Seating arrangements fostered interaction between attendees and interprofessional student volunteers. MCPHS clinics were represented to enhance visibility and facilitate patient recruitment. Surveys assessed satisfaction, knowledge acquisition, and presentation quality, with descriptive statistics and thematic analysis applied to responses.Results/Findings: Of 25 older adults, 23 responded (92% response rate), with 100% reporting they were satisfied (91% very satisfied; 9% satisfied) with the event. All respondents affirmed increased awareness of five of six fall-prevention topics; one did not for "balance activities and exercises.” Open-ended feedback highlighted students’ knowledge and enthusiasm as well as appreciation for the catered lunch.Conclusions, implications, and/or curiosities: This innovative IPE activity utilized students working in a social care team addressing the importance of interprofessional falls awareness education and collaboration by having them actively engage with older adults. It served as a mechanism to mitigate falls and risks, provide nutrition, and support social engagement, all contributors to improved health outcomes for older adults. The activity reinforces the importance of community-based IPE/IPC initiatives to address public health challenges.