STRIDE

Clinical service overview

We offer a rapid allied health service provided by a physiotherapist or occupational therapist who specialise in falls prevention and interventions to elderly patients who have fallen.

STRIDE involves the implementation of an alternate service model for elderly falls patients, who are triaged by Ambulance Victoria as not requiring a hospital admission.

Within this model, eligible patients will be referred to a Falls Response Advanced Clinician who will provide assessment and intervention for patients in their own home environment.

This project focuses on maximising the use of emergency management resources, as well as providing early intervention for falls patients at home.

What we do

The STRIDE clinician will ensure that further emergency care is not required by conducting a thorough post-falls screen. This may include Primary and secondary surveys, a neurospinal screen, and mobility assessment. Following this, the clinician will also conduct a multifactorial falls risk assessment.

This may include:

• A falls history
• Functional assessment
• Home environment assessment
• Balance Assessment
• Cognitive screen
• Continence assessment (including urine dipstick test)
• Nutrition assessment
• Vision assessment

Falls prevention interventions can then be offered to minimise the risk of further falls, ambulance call outs and ED presentations, including:

• Home environment modifications and/or recommendations
• Gait aid and equipment prescription/provision
• Delivery of falls risk prevention and management education
• Delivery of exercise and balance programs
• Complete referrals to other relevant health services
• Provision of written correspondence to the client and their GP

Catchment area

We accept patients who live in the The Alfred catchment: servicing inner south eastern suburbs (south of the M1).

Eligibility criteria

• Those 65 years and older
• Those that have had a fall or multiple falls
• Those that are living independently
• Those that live in the cites of Port Phillip, Glen Eira or Stonnington
• Those that have had contact with Ambulance Vitoria and/or presented to the Alfred Health emergency department and are able to continue to manage at home following a fall without a hospital admission