Home Safety Training to Prevent Falls in Older Adults and their Caregivers

Stairs before and after modifications.

This project added training material to The Home Safety Self-Assessment Tool (HSSAT) V.4 to make the home safer to prevent falls in older adults and enhance accessibility for online version.

Principal Investigator: Machiko R. Tomita, PhD

Co-Investigator: Jo Schweitzer, OTR/L

Funding Agency: Health Foundation of Western and Central New York

Period: 01/01/2013 – 5/31/2015

Abstract: The Home Safety Self-Assessment Tool (HSSAT) has been used in 14 states in the U.S. by the Area Agencies on Aging, occupational therapists, and home care agencies as well as those in Brazil, Canada, and England. It has currently been translated into Italian and Hebrew. To make the HSSAT more comprehensive in preventing falls in older adults, a new feature, training materials to make homes safer, has been added to Version 4.