CAREFIT in Communities
Description: Falls are the leading cause of injury among older Canadian adults (Public Health Canada, 2021). Furthermore, the rate of fall-related mortality was almost three times the overall provincial average for Status Aboriginal peoples in British Columbia (Health Canada, 2001). A report conducted by Reading et al., (2011) emphasized the importance of incorporating many voices, perspectives and building partnerships for fall prevention initiatives in Indigenous communities. The proposed activity, CAREFIT in Communities, is an education and training initiative that aims to fill this need in fall prevention. Our ultimate goal is to improve the health outcomes of Elders with balance and mobility impairments. To do so, our proposed activity is: 1) To adapt CAREFIT for use in Indigenous communities, and 2) To train staff from Indigenous communities within the Fraser Valley East to deliver a safe and effective chair exercise program for Elders. CAREFIT is an evidence-based exercise program for frail seniors with balance and mobility impairments (Fraser Health Falls and Injury Prevention, 2012), and it is available across Fraser Health to train staff within long-term care, assisted living and day programs. Components of the program include strength, coordination, balance, agility, mobility and endurance. These components are safe for all Elders and designed to address fall prevention. Based on evaluations, 82% of Older Adults stated they benefited from the program. Part of the funds from this grant will help our organization adapt the CAREFIT program for use in Indigenous communities, so that it will be sustainable, consistent and culturally safe for Elders. Indeed, prior work, including from our own organization, has shown that models of care that have engaged Indigenous members have higher efficacy (Muise, 2019). We will be engaging with our community partners to adapt the CAREFIT model in terms of content design, community engagement, and ensuring a safe space for learning. The target audience of this grant are community health workers or community health representatives from Indigenous communities within the Fraser Valley East. As such, the training itself will reflect culturally-meaningful practices, including a safe space to hold the training, an opening prayer, and the welcome of food and fellowship. The objective is for these participating staff to introduce this program to Elders within the community in order to decrease frailty and falls.
Amount: CA$10,000
Funding type: research
Funder scheme: Operating Grant: Voluntary Sector Knowledge Mobilization Support Grant
Start date: 2022-03-01
End date: 2023-02-28
Investigator: Jade Wierks
Institution: Fraser Health Authority (Surrey, BC)
Funded outputs count: 0
Funder award ID: 180874_1
OpenAlex ID: G2874869934