STRIDE
Service To Reduce Risk, Improve Independence and Decrease Emergency admissions.
Clinical service overview
We offer a rapid allied health service provided by a physiotherapist or occupational therapist who specialise in falls prevention and interventions to elderly patients who have fallen.
STRIDE involves the implementation of an alternate service model for elderly falls patients, who are triaged by Ambulance Victoria as not requiring a hospital admission.
Within this model, eligible patients will be referred to a Falls Response Advanced Clinician who will provide assessment and intervention for patients in their own home environment.
This project focuses on maximising the use of emergency management resources, as well as providing early intervention for falls patients at home.
What we do
The STRIDE clinician will ensure that further emergency care is not required by conducting a thorough post-falls screen. This may include Primary and secondary surveys, a neurospinal screen, and mobility assessment. Following this, the clinician will also conduct a multifactorial falls risk assessment.
This may include:
- A falls history
- Functional assessment
- Home environment assessment
- Balance Assessment
- Cognitive screen
- Continence assessment (including urine dipstick test)
- Nutrition assessment
- Vision assessment
Falls prevention interventions can then be offered to minimise the risk of further falls, ambulance call outs and ED presentations, including:
- Home environment modifications and/or recommendations
- Gait aid and equipment prescription/provision
- Delivery of falls risk prevention and management education
- Delivery of exercise and balance programs
- Complete referrals to other relevant health services
- Provision of written correspondence to the client and their GP
Catchment area
We accept patients who live in the The Alfred catchment: servicing inner south eastern suburbs (south of the M1).
Eligibility criteria
- Those 65 years and older
- Those that have had a fall or multiple falls
- Those that are living independently
- Those that live in the cites of Port Phillip, Glen Eira or Stonnington
- Those that have had contact with Ambulance Vitoria and/or presented to the Alfred Health emergency department and are able to continue to manage at home following a fall without a hospital admission
Refer your patient
Ambulance Victoria or Emergency & Trauma Centre
Currently STRIDE only accepts external referrals from Ambulance Victoria (AV).
AV members can refer directly via phone or email.
If GPs have any other enquiries regarding the service, please contact the number below.
Allied Health team members working in The Alfred Emergency & Trauma Centre can also refer to this service via internal processes.
- Phone 0419 667 099
- Email gcfallsservice@alfred.org.au
Special referral instructions
After hours referrals can be made via email or voice mail for those not requiring emergency transport