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Activity tool 2. On the stairs and outdoors, keep a firm footing!

Used with permission from the Régie Régionale de la santé et des services sociaux de Montréal Centre, Programme Intégré d'Équilibre Dynamique (PIED).

• Page 1. Activity
• Page 2. Buyer’s Guide - Practical items for the outdoors
• Page 3. Checklist: On the stairs and outdoors, keep a firm footing!
• Page 4. Illustration "On the stairs and outdoors, keep a firm footing!"
• Page 5. Information for Facilitators

Objectives

After completing this capsule, participants will be able to:

1. Identify at least one way of improving safety on stairs and outdoors
2. Say why it is important to pay attention to what we do when walking outdoors

Required Materials

• Checklist: “On the stairs and outdoors, keep a firm footing!”
• “Practical items for the outdoors” buyers guide
• Illustration: “On the stairs and outdoors, keep a firm footing!”

Meeting Plan

Introduction

• Review on using medication properly
• Presentation of capsule topic

Activities

• Stair safety
• Getting out in winter and summer
• Keeping your balance, a task that demands attention

Conclusion

• Review of highlights
• Closing

Introduction

Presentation of Activity

Inform participants that the activity is about things that every participant can do to improve their safety on stairs or outdoors.

Activities

Stair Safety

Ask participants whether they believe that their stairway and entry way are completely safe. Use the checklist, “On the stairs and outdoors, keep a firm footing!”

Possible topics for discussion

1. “Some people leave different objects on their stair landing. What do you think about that?”
2. “What can people do to make outdoor stairs less slippery?”
   • use non-skid paints
   • sweep the steps
   • spread salt or sand
   • in winter, use cocoa matting firmly fastened to the stairs
3. “What can be done to prevent slipping on wet entry way floors?”
   • install a rubber entrance mat
4. “What do you do, or can you do, to improve your safety when you go up and down stairs?”
   • hold on to the railing
   • always watch your feet
   • move slowly, concentrating on what you are doing

It might be helpful to take participants to the facility’s stairway and ask them to identify potential hazards and recommend possible solutions.

Getting out, in winter and in summer

Ask participants to identify concerns they have when they leave their home in summer and in winter. Encourage the group to find solutions for improving safety when they go outside their home. Start the discussion with open-ended questions. Avoiding focussing on special conditions only (for example, freezing rain).

During the discussion, present some of the articles in the “Practical items for the outdoors” buyer’s guide.

Points to cover

• Wear sunglasses in summer.
• When the sidewalks are slippery, use taxis or delivery services (refer participants to the list of resources in their neighbourhood).

Keeping your balance, a task that demands attention

Discuss the importance of paying careful attention when moving around outdoors. As we grow older, it becomes more difficult to stay balanced while thinking about other things or doing other tasks at the same time. Even talking while walking can break a person’s concentration and increase the risk of a fall.

As the years go by, it also becomes easier to lose our balance when we encounter unexpected things in the environment (for example, a small crack in the floor or an animal passing nearby).

“What concrete actions can be taken to concentrate more effectively on the task at hand?”

• Take our time and analyze the potential risks in our surroundings before heading out.
• Stop walking when we have to do something else, such as find keys or read an address.
• Do not read while walking.
• Watch where we step and keep our hands free.

Conclusion

Review of Highlights

Hand out the illustration, “On the stairs and outdoors, keep a firm footing!” Remind participants about the two most important ways of improving safety on stairs and outdoors:

Pay attention to what we are doing

• Go slowly
• Closing

Remind participants that physical activity and safe environments are important in preventing falls.

Thank participants.

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