Meet a fall prevention practitioner: Krista Mills
Posted May 2, 2017
To help build connections and facilitate networking, we are starting a new interview series where we chat with fall prevention practitioners from different sectors, provinces and backgrounds. All of our interviewees are open to connecting with other Loop members and we encourage you to contact them if you see opportunities for collaboration/synergy.
Krista Mills
Care Coordinator, Central East Community Care Access Centre (CCAC)
What is your education and background?
I have extensive post-secondary education having earned 3 undergraduate degrees from Lakehead University including natural science, outdoor recreation and nursing. I am currently working towards completion of a Master of Science degree in Aging and Health through Queen’s University. As a university student I worked with older adult populations instructing aquafitness and aqua therapy classes. Currently I am working as a care coordinator with the Central East CCAC.
Describe your current role at your organization.
Currently I manage a caseload of patients with short term needs. Though my patients range in age from young adult to older adult, many are in need of physiotherapy and occupational therapy interventions due to increased risk of falls, or injuries sustained from a fall. Prior to this position, I was in a local hospital doing care coordination for the CCAC. I was placed on a slow-stream rehab unit and had frequent contact with patients who were at high risk for falls. Coordinating a return home for these patients was always challenging and required significant coordination with families, hospital therapists and community therapists.
Who do you collaborate with? Do you have any unusual partners?
Most of my collaboration is with CCAC service providers, both occupational therapists and physiotherapists. Occasionally I may collaborate with an outside community agency such as Community Care to meet the needs of a patient.
What is your local area doing around fall prevention?
The local hospitals, CCAC and community organizations such as Community Care all have falls prevention initiatives in place. The Peterborough Council on Aging also has a number of projects and initiatives that are aimed at increasing age-friendly communities and education around aging populations.
When you first started working in fall prevention, was there anything that surprised you?
I was surprised by a couple of things. First, I was surprised at the number of factors that can contribute to putting a person at risk for falls. I had not truly thought a lot about some of the long-term issues that could lead to frailty and falls.
Second, I was surprised by the vast age range of people who are at risk for falls. Most people think of elderly people being at risk for falls, but many younger people can be at risk for falls for various reasons as well.
Do you have any advice for new practitioners?
Obtain as much information and education as you can. Talk to other people involved in falls prevention, attend conferences, etc. Make connections with other people in your area, outside of the organization you work for, who are involved in falls prevention. Knowledge is power, and the more we share our knowledge the better we will be able to serve our patients/clients.
Besides fall prevention, what are your passions?
During my current education endeavours, I have become very interested in the idea of age-friendly communities. I live in Peterborough, a community with one of the oldest populations in the country, and a community that is growing quickly. I am intrigued with how the City is planning growth and development to make our community age-friendly. A quote I recently came across during one of my courses really spoke to me on this topic: “Design for the young and you exclude the old; design for the old and you include the young. “ ~ Bernard Isaacs, Founding Director, Birmingham Centre of Applied Gerontology
Has a fall impacted you (or someone you know) personally?
I personally have sustained falls that have left me with bumps and bruises, and occasionally a more serious injury. Due to my age, I usually recover quite quickly. I also still have both of my grandmothers living. They are in their 90’s. Both have had falls that luckily, have left them without serious injury. Both use walkers, live in accessible housing and take precautions to prevent further falls.
Why do you like being part of a Community of Practice?
I believe that any avenue that encourages information sharing among individuals and across organizations benefits everyone. I think we all benefit from the information available to us in the Fall Prevention Community of Practice. I like to see what other communities and organizations are doing to contribute to Falls Prevention.
Contact Krista: http://www.fallsloop.com/profile/12961