Fall prevention clinics for older adults provide a strong return on investment

(Press-News.org) Falls are one of the leading causes of injury and hospitalization among older adults, placing significant strain on individuals, families and the health-care system.

And new research by UBC Okanagan’s Dr. Jennifer Davis shows that money spent to prevent additional falls and avoid significant injuries among older adults at high risk of future falls yields a strong return on the dollar.

Dr. Davis is a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Applied Health Economics and an associate professor in UBCO’s Faculty of Management. She conducts economic evaluations alongside randomized controlled trials, comparing cost-effectiveness and cost-utility analyses in a variety of clinical settings that include falls, cognition and chronic conditions.

Her latest study, recently published in Maturitas, reports on a 12‑month cost‑analysis of the Falls Prevention Clinic at Vancouver General Hospital. The study demonstrated that every dollar invested in the clinic yielded substantial financial and health returns.

“By preventing falls before additional injuries or fractures occur in older adults who have a history of falls, the Falls Prevention Clinic not only improves quality of life but also reduces costly emergency visits, hospital stays and long-term care admissions,” explains Dr. Davis.

The referral-based, research-driven clinic specializes in preventing falls and fractures among adults aged 65 and older. Most patients have a significant history of falls, and by the time they visit the clinic they have experienced, on average, three falls in the past 12 months.

The clinic provides falls risk assessments and personalized exercise programs proven to reduce additional falls in these adults. Specifically, the exercise program includes progressive strength and balance exercises delivered by a physiotherapist.

The clinic’s goal, Dr. Davis explains, is to keep those with mobility challenges, frailty or multiple chronic conditions independent for as long as possible and maintain their health and quality of life as they age.

“Measuring the financial return of a geriatrician-based care model that includes physiotherapist-led exercise prescriptions shows that this program is both clinically and financially effective. It prevented falls by 36 per cent, providing significant cost savings to the health-care system. The return on investment for this is transformational, ranging from about 500 to 2,700 per cent,” says Dr. Davis.

In 2020, the clinic generated an estimated $956,288 in annual health-care savings. During one year, the clinic provided 543 patient visits, including 240 new assessments. And the cost for a physiotherapist’s salary to support the clinic is $103,000.

“This is a compelling example of how modest, evidence-based changes in existing care pathways can result in significant health and economic gains,” she adds.

Achieving such a strong benefit–cost ratio shows why investing in prevention matters, particularly in an economic climate where resources are more constrained than ever. Providing prescribed exercises and physiotherapy visits for people at risk of falls and injury is a practical, effective and cost-effective approach for Canada’s health-care system, she adds.

“This finding is pivotal because our health-care system already has a geriatrician-based care model. Adding physiotherapist-led exercise prescriptions is a simple change that provides substantial benefits and saves health-care dollars. The bottom line is that a minimal investment to support physiotherapists delivering exercise can lead to extensive gains.”

The research adds to growing evidence that prevention-focused care can make a meaningful difference—an idea at the centre of Embrace Aging Month programming in the Okanagan. UBCO’s Institute for Healthy Living and Chronic Disease Prevention has a variety of events and workshops planned, including a Zoom presentation on fall prevention on March 17.

To learn more about this clinic, or other Embrace Aging Month events, visit: www.okanaganembraceaging.com

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