Since resident-to-resident elder mistreatment (R-REM) occurs frequently in long-term services and support settings, The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effect of a R-REM training program for nursing and other frontline staff on resident falls and injuries in a cluster randomized trial of units within four nursing homes.
Interview and observational data from a sample of 1,201 residents (n = 600 and n = 601 in the usual care and intervention groups, respectively) and staff were collected at baseline and 6 and 12 months. A generalized linear model was used to model the falls/injuries outcome. The net reduction in falls and injuries was 5 percent, translating to 10 saved events per year in an average-sized facility. Although the result did not reach statistical significance due to low power, the findings of fall prevention associated with implementing the intervention in long-term care facilities is clinically important. (publisher abstract modified)