Older people with dementia experience a 2-10 times higher risk of falls compared to age-matched peers without dementia. However, there are few evidence-based fall prevention programs for them. Most older people with dementia who live at home receive support from family or friend care partners, who play an essential role in managing their fall risk. It is unclear how to engage dementia care partners in fall risk management effectively. We aim to address this gap by 1. utilizing a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach to create a fall prevention workshop for dementia care partners, along with a team of service providers, people living with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or early dementia, and their care partners, and 2. examining the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of the workshop using a one-group pretest-posttest study design, complemented by follow-up interviews.
Completion of these aims will facilitate the development of evidence on how to enhance care partners’ fall prevention efforts at an early stage of their caregiving journey. Upon further examination of its efficacy and effectiveness, the intervention aims to address the major public health concern that falls present and strengthen care partners’ capacity to provide quality care and support for older people with dementia.