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First published in the Falls Prevention Newsletter December 2009

Falls are a major cause of unintentional injury throughout the world especially in people aged 65 and over. Vision plays an important role in healthy ageing with vision disorders accounting for approximately three per cent of the burden of disease. People with vision impairment have:
 

• twice as many falls
• three times the risk of depression
• an eightfold increase in the risk of hip fractures.

In addition this group of people are admitted into nursing homes three years earlier.

Making a Move is a Victorian Government program aimed at promoting ‘the health and independence of older people by providing activities designed to improve, maintain or reduce the rate of decline in strength, balance, improve nutrition, footwear, foot care and vision’.  The program is conducted across 15 weeks. The South East Healthy Communities Partnership raised the need for a specialised vision care module to be developed to ensure that vision was clearly and accurately included in the program.

The Vision Initiative, funded by the Victorian Department of Health and implemented by Vision 2020 Australia, in conjunction with member organisations has developed a vision component for the Making a Move program to assist with the implementation of the compulsory eye health element of the program. Optometrists, ophthalmologists and low vision specialists have played a key role in the development and delivery of this program. The Making a Move module can be implemented in one of two ways:

1. 80+ Home based recipients – via a distance education module developed for health workers who will visit the client in their home, predominantly the Royal District Nursing Service. The education module takes approximately 2 – 3 hours and covers the role of vision, the importance of regular tests, the five common eye conditions and basic testing of vision. The module is a self-paced self-learn PowerPoint presentation which is followed by two site visits – one to a local optometrist and a second to Vision Australia. Any questions arising from the presentation can be asked during these visits.
   
   The module aims to build capacity within the workforce and to increase knowledge, awareness and understanding of common eye conditions.
    
2. 65+ Group based recipients – delivered through a mix of two presentations with supporting resources:

 

• Common eye conditions and the importance of good vision – delivered by a local optometrist. This session includes a brief overview of the eye and review of a vision screening assessment (completed during week one of the exercise program) to ensure that participants have adequate vision for the exercise program.
• How to get the best out of your vision – delivered by Vision Australia. The session looks at resources available to aid people who live with vision impairment.

Other resources to support the program include:

• Vision assessment tool
• PowerPoint presentation for health care workers
• Health workers card
• Fact sheet for Home And Community Care (HACC) workers
• How to get the best out of your vision presentation
• Evaluation sheet.

The vision module was trialled in the South East Communities Healthy Partnership, in a variety of settings and languages including Arabic, Croatian, Mandarin and Cambodian. Despite a few teething problems the module was well accepted and the feedback obtained for the participants was very positive. The main challenge faced was the short lead time to arrange speakers and translators. In view of this, a four week lead time has been built into the program. This will ensure that appropriate speakers can be found to deliver sessions and resources can be translated into the correct languages. Since this original trial Darebin Community Health has also used this module with great success.

Making a Move will continue to run throughout 2010 with 22 lead organisations funded to run up to 15 programs each across Victoria. Making a Move vision component kits including all resources will be available in early 2010. To order your kit or to find out more please contact Nathalie Maconachie on nmaconachie@vision2020australia.org.au or 03 9656 2007.

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