From 2007- 2015, the Health Foundation for Western and Central New York led a regional effort to reduce falls for older adults. The work included several initiatives, most notably, a series of learning collaboratives which engaged a variety of regional partners to make evidence-based change to both the individual behavior of local seniors and to providers’ routine practice with elders. By comparing previous sustainability reporting from teams involved in the collaboratives with data obtained in a series of semi-structured interviews with past grantees, this report provides a view of the levels of sustained activity from collaborative efforts.
This report starts by providing the context necessary to understand the most current work. This is followed by an explanation of the methods used in this study, before providing a summary of the findings in section three. The report concludes with conclusions and suggestions for future practice.
Key findings regarding sustainability are:
1. Community education and balance and exercise programs were most likely to be sustained.
2. Interest in expanding community education and balance and exercise programs is what each coalition sees as their primary focus for future work.
2. Programs engaging healthcare professionals have generally not been sustained.
3. If a coalition built a relationship with an EMS provider, this relationship and their engagement in falls prevention activities has been sustained.
4. All home safety activities have been sustained.
5. Three counties have secured new sources of funding.
6. Counties have experienced extreme turnover and staffing changes which has impacted the strength of the previous coalitions
7. Counties who were top performers during the original funding continue to stand out as most likely to have sustained and grown their work
8. Funding continues to be the primary need counties identify for sustainability
Focus Area: Older Adults
Category: Evaluation, Infographic, Report, Toolkit
Date Published: February 1, 2019