SBIR-STTR Award

The high risk of injury among elderly people is well documented. The purpose of this project is to develop a uniform and validated system for delivering comprehensive injury prevention training to professional staff and nonprofessionals who care for elderly adults in a variety of settings: adult day care and senior centers, board and care homes, nursing facilities, and in private homes. An injury prevention curriculum will be developed by a group of experts in gerontology, falls, pharmacology, substance abuse, suicide, fire safety, instructional design, and program evaluation. A prototype set of materials will be developed and pilot tested with adult day care, board and care, and nursing facilities staff. Materials will be developed to meet the needs of each audience. Each one will include a course book, instructor's manual, and evaluation instruments. A videotape will be produced to illustrate the need for injury prevention for the elderly suitable for all audiences. The completed system to be developed and field tested in Phase II will include staff training, continuing education, and a network which will serve the purpose of gathering information for continuing evaluation of the program and linking facilities needing training with qualified instructors.Awardee's statement of the potential commercial applications of the research: The National Injury Prevention Certification System for the Elderly will be distributed as a training course, training materials, a follow-up continuing education system, and a network linking certified instructors with facilities and other organizations that work with elderly people or that require training programs.National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC)

Accidental injuries are the seventh leading cause of death for people over 65. This project will develop a uniform and validated system for delivering comprehensive injury prevention training for people who care for elderly adults in a variety of settings. In Phase I, experts in gerontology, falls, pharmacology, alcohol abuse, suicide, fire safety, injury prevention, instructional design, and program evaluation developed a comprehensive injury prevention curriculum. Prototype materials were pilot tested with the staff of a long term care facility, home health care providers, and staff from a state agency. Results demonstrated a significant improvement from pro to post test on measures of burn prevention knowledge, attitudes, and practice.During phase II, nine additional modules will be completed and piloted tested. Topics will be falls, choking, hypo- and hyper-thermia, elder abuse, problems with alcohol, food poisoning, malnutrition, suicide, and medication complications. The program will be field tested with treatment and control subjects from 100 long term care facilities in Virginia and in a less controlled environment by 100 long term care facilities throughout the United States. Phase II products will include a course book, video tapes posters, instructional manual and a plan for continuing education. A follow up study will be conducted with Virginia providers to asses long term effects.National Institute on Aging (NIA)