Social Media Marketing Campaign to Address the Problem of Elderly Falls

Social Media Marketing Campaign to Address the Problem of Elderly Falls
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Social Media Marketing Campaign to Address the Problem of Elderly Falls
Community Health Diagnostic Statement
Health Concern
Falls and associated injuries are a shared community health issue in the elderly population of Fairfax County. Fairfax County wealth disparities exist as approximately 7% of the population lives in poverty; moreover, more than 90,000 people do not have health insurance, and about 80,000 people live below the poverty line (Health Department CY 2022 Equity Impact Plan, 2022).
The Affected Group
The elderly population of Fairfax County, having a low socioeconomic profile, is more exposed to injuries associated with falls. Several causative factors include taking four or more medicines, muscular weakness, the presence of chronic illness, and sensory deficit (Freij, n.d.).
Causative Factors
These risk factors verify that elderly people from low-income families suffer more from elderly falls as they cannot afford expensive treatment, including safety sitters, rehabs, and safety devices (Cumpian, n.d.).
Evidence
Evidence also supports this fact, as approximately 70% of accidental deaths of people more than 75 years of age (Department of Family Services, n.d). National Council on Aging reveals that the proportion of falls in people over 65 years is 1:4 (Freij, n.d.). Similarly, the number of elderly people (65 or over) living in Fairfax County is 24 276 (United States Census Bureau, 2021).
The Link Between Health Disparity and Risk of Falls in Poor Elderly
Primary Community Resources Primary Prevention Resources
The Windshield survey identified several community resources to promote elderly people's health. For instance, the city has 48 nursing facilities and rehabilitation centers to support elderly people with their health-related problems. Additionally, Community Fall Intervention Team is a healthcare program of The City of Fairfax Fire Department that provides necessary healthcare services to 400 elderly victims of falls per annum (FIT, n.d). Likewise, Inova Medical System Falls Prevention Education is an awareness campaign that has launched two programs titled "A Matter of Balance" and "Stay on Your Feet" to educate and train elderly people about how to prevent falls (FIT, n.d). Virtual Walk with Ease. Fairfax County Senior Centers and North Virginia Falls Prevention Alliance are also some essential secondary healthcare resources that help elderly people overcome the problems of falls. These resources use group discussions, exercises, and online sessions (Freij, n.d).
Underlying Causes Behind Elderly Falls in People of Low Socioeconomic Status
Fairfax holds a multiethnic population, as out of a 1.7 million population, 30% of residents are immigrants from different regions; these include African Americans and Hispanics or Latinos (Health Department CY 2022 Equity Impact Plan, 2022). The poverty level of African Americans and Latinos is 16.1% and 13.8%, respectively, which is shockingly high compared to only 3.8% for Whites. Similarly, these people also lack health insurance, with a proportion of 11.3% and 22.5%, respectively. The poverty of such communities has also lowered these people's life expectancy level; the regions of Fairfax where African Americans, Latinos, and other poor people live show lower life expectancy rates than wealthy neighbourhoods (Health Department CY 2022 Equity Impact Plan, 2022).
Similarly, poverty has also increased their health complications that contribute directly or indirectly to increasing their falling rate; for instance, African Americans with a poor background are admitted to hospitals three times more than Whites and Hispanic people (Health Department CY 2022 Equity Impact Plan, 2022). Thus, poor health conditions, financial disparities, and lack of access to standard health facilities are some of the causes that contribute to the increase in elderly falls among residents of Fairfax having a low socioeconomic status. These people live in unsafe houses, and due to a lack of financial resources, they cannot avail themselves of the health resources mentioned above to protect themselves from falls.
Evidence-based Practice Standards
Since elderly falls result from multiple physiological, psychological, and external factors, multiple remedial measures are used as practice standards to tackle this problem (Cuevas-Trisan, 2019).
Physical Activities and Exercises
The involvement of elderly people in limited physical activities or light exercise assists them in protecting themselves from falls; exercise increases muscular flexibility, endurance, and strength. It also helps elderly people maintain their balance (Cuevas-Trisan, 2019). This exercise serves as a therapeutic measure as it involves a step-wise approach to increase exercise; resultantly, elderly people develop their muscular strength and balance. Several scholarly studies also supported exercise as a standard practice. A 2009 Cochrane database review concluded that group-based exercise programs significantly reduce the probability of falls in elders. One scholarly study calculated that exercise reduces the chances of elderly falls by 21% (Cuevas-Trisan, 2019).
Modification in Environment
Change in settings at home or outside the environment is another standard practice that is recommended to address the issue of elderly falls. This standard practice is specifically essential for elderly people with previous falls history (Clemson et al., 2008). The positive relationship between change in environmental settings and reduction in falls is supported by evidence-based studies. For instance, one meta-analysis based on six scholarly research studies concluded that appropriate change in domestic and outside environments reduces the incidents of falls by 21% (Clemson et al., 2008). Thus, suitable, comprehensive, selected, and well-focused changes in the setting are standard practices for the prevention of elderly falls.
Removal of Potential Causes of Falls
Eliminating risk factors is another essential standard practice for preventing elderly falls. Gradually removal of drugs that induce drowsiness is one way of improving an elderly person's precision, balance, and eyesight; likewise, necessary changes in footwear and foot problems are another way of reducing elderly falls (Luk et al., 2015). Periodic review of an elderly person's medications and gradual removal of psychotropic drugs from the prescription has shown promising results in reducing falling incidents. Nevertheless, continuous monitoring is imperative to implement this practice, as patients tend to resume this medication if they are not appropriately supervised (Luk et al., 2015).
Health Concerns Associated with Elderly Falls
The percentage of elderly fall incidents increases with age as 26.7% of elders within the age range of 65 to 74 years experience fall; similarly, 29.8 % of people within the age bracket of 75 to 84 years face this problem. The growing rate of elderly falls poses severe social and healthcare challenges to patients and their caretakers. In America, elderly falls have become a severe health challenge. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), elderly falls are the most prominent cause of fatal injuries in adults and, most importantly, in older adults (FIT, n.d). Similarly, throughout America, the annual rate of injuries related to falls is approximately 3 million annually, and around 800,000 cases are severe and need hospitalization. Moreover, out of 300,000 cases of hip fractures, more than 95% are caused by elderly falls (CDC, 2021). In the same way, elderly falls also cause severe head injuries and neurological damage, psychological fears, and immovability in elderly patients, and these problems also make elderly falls a serious health concern.
Community Health Social Media Marketing Campaign for Elderly Falls
In the current age of information technology, the growing influence of social media has necessitated its use for running online healthcare marketing campaigns; therefore, the current discussion adopts a community-based social media marketing campaign related to elderly falls.
Campaign's Objective
This campaign aims to facilitate effective online communication between elderly people and doctors to create a dynamic relationship between them; it also aims to keep the Fairfax community, and patients informed about the facts and development related to elderly falls to improve their health awareness. The objective of this campaign is to develop a round-the-clock connectivity platform for elderly people, their caregivers, and healthcare workers. Therefore, this campaign will conduct an analysis of the proportion of elderly people who establish effective contact with their caregivers and healthcare workers. This measurable outcome will assist in evaluating the breadth and effectiveness of the campaign and reshaping it accordingly. Moreover, this campaign also keeps a record of the conversation, diagnosis and prescriptions to measure the trend in elderly care in the given population. Other measurable criteria for this campaign include conversation rate, website visits, and click-through rate.
Social Media Marketing Interventions
This campaign is based on two potentially effective marketing interventions; in the field of marketing, interventions are defined as means to shape, promote, or alter specific trends in a target population (CDCynergy Lite, n.d.). These interventions focus on using the Fairfax community, elderly people, and doctors to develop an online platform for the propagation of community healthcare messages.
The Communication and Networking Intervention
This intervention uses popular social media platforms to gather elderly people, community members, and doctors on one platform to establish a comprehensive online network for healthcare communication. This intervention involves regularly uploading social media posts related to falls in el...