Information for Doctors
Learn more our information available for doctors below, or by selecting the specific pages in the drop-down menu above.
Who Should be Referred
Who can the Falls Prevention Clinic help?
Patients eligible for the Falls Prevention Clinic must meet the following criteria:
- Aged 70 years and over
- Community-dwelling and ambulatory (with or without assistive devices) in the Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, North/West Vancouver area
- Have had at least one fall in the previous 12 months
- Have not had a hip fracture or hip replacement in the previous 2 years
- Have reasonable cognitive function (MMSE score of 24 or higher)
- No progressive neurological conditions (eg. Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis, etc.)
- Can verbally communicate well in English
Indoor falls are particularly associated with poor outcomes, so please have a high index of suspicion and consider referring indoor fallers in particular.
For a copy of our referral form, please click here.
Ineligible Patients
Younger Than 70 Years Old
Unfortunately, due to the high volume of high-risk fallers referred to our clinic, patients must be aged 70 and over to be eligible for assessment at the Falls Prevention Clinic. We recommend that patients aged less than 70 years be assessed by an internal medicine specialist or geriatrician in their regular office setting.
Cognitive Impairment & Dementia
The Vancouver Falls Prevention Clinic is unable to assist those with significant cognitive impairment. We recommend that your patient be seen at:
Clinic for Alzheimer Disease and Related Disorders
UBC Hospital Koerner Pavilion, Room G35
2211 Wesbrook Mall
Vancouver BC, V6T 2B5
T: 604.822.703
F: 604.822.7191
www.vch.ca/alz
If your patient is not suitable for assessment at the Clinic for Alzheimer Disease and Related Disorders, we recommend that your patient be referred to a local geriatrician. For further information about dementia and reducing the risk of falls we recommend the Dementia Journey website.
How to Make a Referral
To refer a patient, please complete our Referral Form and fax it to 604-875-5129. Please be sure to include all of the information requested in our form, and include any recent test results and consult reports.
Services Provided
At the Falls Prevention Clinic, patients will receive:
1. Fall Risk Assessment
- PPA (Physiological Profile Assessment)
- The evidence–based Falls Risk Assessment will be performed by one of our Geriatrician Assistants, and will include various tests and activities. This assessment tool predicts the risk of future falls with 75% accuracy. It provides a breakdown of falls risk by assessing the patient’s strength, balance, vision, proprioception and reaction time. The family physician will receive copies of this test and its interpretation.
- Performance Measures
- Chair stands (timed from sitting to standing position)
- Timed Up-and-Go
- Balance standing tasks (Side-by-side, semi-tandem, tandem, single leg)
- Cognitive Assessment
- Research has shown that a subtle decrease in cognitive function is related to falls in seniors, so each patient will undergo various cognitive assessments, including:
- Stroop
- Trail-Making
- Digit Span
- Digit Symbol Substitution
- Research has shown that a subtle decrease in cognitive function is related to falls in seniors, so each patient will undergo various cognitive assessments, including:
- Other Questionnaires and Assessments
- Quality of Life
- Everyday Function
- Mood
2. Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment
The Geriatricians focus on diagnosis, test interpretation, and intervention to prevent future falls. In the literature such an assessment reduced future falls by 60%*. After their assessment at the Falls Prevention Clinic, the patient will typically be discharged back to ongoing care by their General Practitioner.
3. Evidence-based Home Exercise
If eligible, your patient will be given the option to take part in Action Seniors!, a randomized-control trial investigating the effect of a home-delivered exercise program on reducing falls in seniors over the age of 70. If placed in the exercise group, your patient will receive strength and balance training accompanied by 4-5 PT visits over 2-6 months which has been shown to reduce seniors’ falls by 40-60%.
For a copy of our referral form, please click here.
