In 2022, in Toronto, falls were the leading cause of injury resulting in emergency department visits and hospitalizations among adults aged 65 years and older.
The Step Ahead to Fall Prevention E-learning Module was updated in December 2024 by Toronto Public Health from the original version created in partnership with York Region Public Health. The E-learning module will provide knowledge and skills to help reduce the risk of falls in older adults.
It is intended for health care providers, caregivers and individuals who provide care to older adults. The training examines age related changes and modifiable risk factors associated with falls and enables caregivers to incorporate fall prevention strategies when working with older adults.
If you would like to learn more about fall prevention in older adults, please click on the link below in each section. A certificate is provided once complete. The training will take approximately 80 minutes in total and consists of 5 sections.
It is recommended that you follow the order of the 5 sections. There is an evaluation link after you have completed all 5 sections. Closed Captioning is available on the bottom of the slide and there is an accessible transcript available in the resource tab.
Falls are the leading cause of injury among older Canadians. In the section you will learn about the definition of healthy aging and falls, information about the growing number of older adults in Toronto, and why it is important to care about falls.
Complete Section 1 – Healthy Aging
Approximately 10 minutes to complete.
Normal age-related physical changes affect an older adult’s risk of having a fall. This section covers the systems in the human body, how each is affected by the aging process and its impact on falls.
Complete Section 2 – Effects of Aging on Falls Risk
Approximately 20 minutes to complete.
In this section you will learn about the various risk factors that contribute to falls which include:
Complete Section 3 – Fall Risk Factors
Approximately 15 minutes to complete.
This section provides more details about the modifiable risks that can help reduce falls in older adults.
Complete Section 4 – Modifiable Risk Factors
Approximately 15 minutes to complete.
This section provides a summary of the four previous sections. Case scenarios are included to reinforce the learning, and there are tools and resources for future reference.
Complete Section 5 – Summary, Tools and Resources
Approximately 20 minutes to complete.