Pilot study of a fall risk management program for middle aged and older adults with MS

Objective: To present the outcomes of a pilot study of "Safe at Home BAASE", a fall risk management program designed for middle-aged and older adults with multiple sclerosis. Methods: Thirty people with multiple sclerosis (mean age = 56.7 +/- 7.4) started the manualized program that was delivered by an occupational therapist over six-two hour sessions. A pre/post intervention design with a set of 6 outcome tools was used to evaluate the extent to which the program increased knowledge of fall risk factors, increased knowledge and skills to manage falls and falls risk, and promoted changes in behavior to reduce personal fall risk. Results: Significant improvements were observed across all tools for participants attending >= 5:6 program sessions as well as participants attending <= 4 sessions, although some instruments exhibited poor internal consistency in this sample. Participants reported knowledge gains and using new fall prevention and management strategies after attending the program. Conclusion: "Safe at Home BAASE" appears to have potential to foster changes in knowledge, skills and behavior associated with reduced personal fall risk. Practice implications: Findings suggest that additional research is needed on fall-related assessment tools for this population before a large scale controlled investigation of the intervention can be pursued.