Occupational Therapy (Honours) students Grace Hunter, Meg McCarthy and Aalia Polidano worked with Heathcote Health to strengthen falls prevention for older people in the local community, developing practical tools and resources to support a new falls and balance exercise program for people aged 65 and over.
In rural communities such as Heathcote, older people can face additional barriers to accessing allied health services, including transport, distance and limited service availability. Locally delivered preventative programs can therefore play an important role in helping people remain active, confident and independent.
Working closely with Heathcote Health, the students developed a pre-screening tool to help staff assess whether participants could safely and appropriately take part in the program. They also created a structured eight-week falls and balance exercise template and educational handouts to support ongoing delivery. These resources gave Heathcote Health a practical foundation for falls prevention activities through its new gym and contributed to the organisation’s broader April Falls Prevention Initiative.
Ella O’Bree, Health Promotion Officer at Heathcote Health, said the partnership brought together student learning and local knowledge to address a genuine community priority.
"Working with La Trobe students gave us an opportunity to turn a local health priority into practical resources that we can continue to use. The students brought fresh ideas and applied their learning to the needs of our community, while our team was able to share the local knowledge and experience that is so important when delivering health initiatives in a rural setting,” said Ella.
The student project complemented Heathcote Health’s broader approach to falls prevention, which combined workforce education with community engagement. Home support workers were trained to identify falls risks during visits with older clients and to better understand strategies that can reduce risk.
The training was followed by a community education session, creating a direct pathway for staff to encourage at-risk clients to participate. The approach successfully translated workforce education into community engagement.
For Heathcote Health, collaborating with La Trobe students created an opportunity to develop practical tools that can continue to support local service delivery. The project highlights the benefits of university-health service partnerships, combining student learning with the expertise of local clinicians to create resources with lasting value for the community.
Delivered in-house by Heathcote Health's allied health team and without external funding, the initiative demonstrates how rural health services can strengthen prevention efforts by drawing on existing skills, knowledge and local partnerships.
The project has also identified opportunities for future falls prevention education, with community members expressing interest in topics such as getting up safely after a fall and managing balance and dizziness.
La Trobe Occupational Therapy Lecturer and supervisor Matthew Cappy said the project enabled students to contribute to a genuine rural health priority while gaining valuable experience in community-based health promotion. "At the same time, rural health organisations gain fresh perspectives, practical resources and additional support that can help improve outcomes for the people they serve," he said.
