Goal
Missouri older adults will know the benefits of and have access to fall risk screening and assessment as appropriate to their needs.

1. Develop/adopt public educational materials for older adults, their caregivers, and healthcare providers on the benefit of periodic fall risk assessments/screenings.
2. Adopt standardized fall risk assessment tools for various settings and providers, distributing and providing information relative to the tools as appropriate.
3. Design and implement a public awareness campaign to distribute identified public educational materials using dissemination strategies customized to community-dwelling older adults. This public awareness campaign will include information about fall risk assessment, fall prevention, and how to move forward after a fall.

Evaluation Measures

• Educational materials selected
• Fall risk assessment tools selected
• Number of times the information is shared

Timeline

Objective 1 — By end of 2027

Objective 2 — By end of 2027

Objective 3 — By end of 2028

1. Develop/adopt public educational materials for older adults and their caregivers to raise awareness of fall risk and protective factors. These materials will focus on risk and protective factors related to nutrition, physical conditioning, strength, gait, and balance. Additional risk and protective factors may be added as needed.
2. Design and implement a public awareness campaign to distribute identified public educational materials using dissemination strategies customized to community-dwelling older adults and caregivers.
3. Promote state and community recreational, faith-based, and senior-serving organizations to provide evidence-based programs and evidence-informed activities customized to the older adult population, recognizing fall risk factors.

Evaluation Measures

• Educational materials selected
• Number of times the information is shared
• Number of times programs are promoted

Timeline

Objective 1 — By end of 2028

Objective 2 — By end of 2029

Objective 3 — By end of 2030

1. Develop/adopt public educational materials to improve older adults, their caregivers’, and healthcare providers' knowledge and access to home safety measures, including home modifications, assistive technology, that reduce home hazards, improve independent functioning, and lower the risk of falls.
2. Adopt a home safety assessment tool or process and distribute it as appropriate.

Evaluation Measures

• Educational materials selected
• Number of times the information is shared

Timeline

Objective 1 — By end of 2026

Objective 2 — By end of 2027

Goal
Missouri health organizations and providers will enhance their quality metrics and adopt policies focused on healthy aging and physical activity. This will ensure older adults receive quality healthcare, including proper evaluation, treatment, follow-up, and referrals, ultimately improving their quality of life and reducing the risk of falls.

1. Develop template policies to help health systems and providers focus on sources of value and total cost-of-care savings, including reduction in falls, functional decline, and frailty.
2. Develop/adopt education and referral pathway materials to enhance the connection between the health care community and community-based healthy aging resources and programs.

Evaluation Measures

• Improved rating in Medicare Advantage performance metrics (reducing the risk of falling, transitions of care, ‘Staying Healthy’, which measures the receipt of preventive health care and includes the ‘monitoring of physical activity’), Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) Measure (care for older adults, Physical Activity in Older Adults), Value-Based Care metrics, and/or other performance metrics as they become available
• How many materials are accepted by health care organizations or providers

Timeline

Objective 1 — By end of 2026

Objective 2 — By end of 2027

Goal
Strengthen this Work Group through recruitment and collaboration to ensure that the purpose of the Healthy Aging and Fall Prevention Work Group can be attained.

1. Collaborate with at least two other MOCAN Work Groups to achieve the objectives of this Work Group and ensure that aging perspectives are considered in other Work Groups.
2. Collaborate with at least two community organizations. At least one organization should focus on rural populations.
3. Have at least 20 participants in at least 4 Work Group meetings.

Evaluation Measures

• Number of collaborations with other Work Groups
• Number of collaborations with other organizations
• Number of meetings with more than 20 participants

Timeline

Objective 1 — By end of 2030

Objective 2 — By end of 2030

Objective 3 — By end of 2030