🎯Three Content Types · One Force Field
Every square belongs to one of three content types — not three levels you climb. Track progress in your Course and Skills Lab.
📘 Learn It Content type
Concepts to absorb.
🛠 Live It Content type
Daily skills and habits.
📣 Share It Content type
Teach, advocate, carry forward.
🛡️Your Force Field — 16 Squares
Deeper detail lives in the Prepared Patient Falls Prevention course.
Why Falls Matter
A hip fracture at 75 has a 1-in-3 one-year mortality. Falls are preventable.
Learn ItMedications That Raise Risk
BP meds, sleep aids, anti-anxiety, opioids, multi-drug regimens.
Learn ItSpot the Emergency
Hip fracture · head injury on blood thinner · spine injury — 911.
Learn ItCommon Triggers
Rugs, dim lights, bathroom transitions, getting up fast, dehydration, alcohol.
Learn ItRisk Factors
Age, prior falls, polypharmacy, vision, balance, osteoporosis, frailty.
Learn ItBalance & Strength
Tai chi, Otago, supervised PT — proven to reduce falls.
Live ItVision & Hearing
Current glasses, hearing aids. Cataract surgery if indicated.
Live ItHome Safety
Grab bars, no loose rugs, night lights, raised toilet seats.
Live ItFootwear
Non-slip soles, supportive. Slippers off in wet rooms.
Live ItMake Every Visit Count
Bring fall log, medication list, home setup notes.
Live ItYour Care Team
PCP, PT/OT, ophthalmology, audiology, pharmacist, sometimes geriatrician.
Live ItFall Detection
Apple Watch, MedAlert. False alarms vs real backup.
Live ItInsurance & Cost
Home OT visit often covered. Grab bars covered through some plans.
Live ItTeach & Mentor
Older adults underestimate fall risk. Your story helps.
Share ItAdvocate
Push for fall-prevention coverage and accessible communities.
Share ItResearch & Trials
Hip protectors, exercise programs, AI-based fall detection.
Share ItThree things to learn before you actually need them.
Workflow lives in the Prepared Visit Tool. Trackers in your Course.
Which door do I use?
Falls predict bigger falls. The ladder helps you respond to the small ones before they become big.
Handle at home
- No falls in the last week
- Following your balance exercise routine
- Vision and hearing aids current
- Home hazards addressed
Log it. Keep moving. Strength preserves balance.
Call the office / message the portal
- A near-fall or stumble you caught yourself
- Mild new dizziness on standing
- Vision change noticed
- New medication that may affect balance
Same day. Pattern changes matter.
Urgent / Acute care
- A fall, even without injury — tell your team
- New persistent back, hip, or wrist pain after a fall
- Bruising spreading
- Difficulty standing or walking after a fall
Urgent care. X-ray if any chance of fracture. Falls assessment.
ER NOW / call 911
- Can’t bear weight after a fall
- Severe pain in hip, wrist, or spine
- Head injury — especially on blood thinner
- Loss of consciousness during or after fall
- Severe back pain with leg weakness or bladder/bowel changes
Call 911. Don’t move someone with possible spine or head injury.
How to describe a new symptom in 30 seconds
What is it?
Plain words.
How bad?
0-10.
When did it start?
Time + what you were doing.
What made it worse?
Movement · food · meds.
What helped?
Even a little.
What else was new?
Fever · med · supplement · stress. The forgotten detail often shifts the diagnosis.
“I fell yesterday in the bathroom, didn’t hit my head, a 4 on hip pain that’s a 6 with weight bearing, started after I got up too fast in the morning, sitting and rest help, and I started a new BP medication 5 days ago.”
Questions worth asking
Four for every patient, every condition, every visit:
- “Could this be a side effect of one of my medications, a supplement, or something else I’m doing — and should we change that?”
- “Would any non-drug therapy help — physical therapy, meditation, rest, ice or heat?”
- “If I can’t afford this medication or this test, can we talk about samples, alternatives, or a social worker who can help?”
- “What should I be watching for between now and my next visit — and when do I handle it myself, when do I call your office, when do I go to urgent care, and when do I go to the ER?”
Questions specifically for Falls Prevention:
- “Could a medication be increasing my fall risk — can we review my list?”
- “Should I have a formal falls assessment or PT referral?”
- “Am I on enough vitamin D, calcium, and bone-protective therapy?”
- “What home modifications would help — OT home visit possible?”
- “Should I be using a cane, walker, or hip protector?”