Mov-ing free-LY goes virtual: Acceptance and efficacy of a virtual fall prevention group education and exercise program

Background: Group-based fall prevention programs can reduce falls and are recommended by the Centers of Disease Control MOV-ing FREE-ly (Multicomponent Otago Virtual Fall Reduction Education and Exercise Program) combines evidence-based fall prevention interventions and has been successfully implemented at VA Puget Sound since 2017 Given COVID restrictions, this program was transitioned from in-person to a virtual platform (VA Video Connect (VVC)) to Veteran Homes Thus purpose of this quality improvement project was to obtain Veteran acceptance of the virtual platform and capture self-reported improvement in fall risk factors Methods: MOV-ing FREE-ly' is a virtual fall prevention exercise and educational program that consists of six, weekly sessions conducted over the VVC, with participants engaging with education and exercises remotely from home Content included education, exercises and behaviors addressing fall risk factors Recruitment was based on the following criteria: history of falling, unsteadiness with walking or fear of falling;not wheelchair bound;not cognitively impaired Qualitative feedback about Veteran perceptions of falling risk, mobility, and acceptance of a virtual platform was collected with phone follow-up one week post class Results: Since September, 2020, 7 have completed 'Moving FREE-ly' virtual class No falls occurred during program or in interim follow up Nearly all Veterans reported increased awareness of their environment, stated they would continue doing Otago-based exercises and make home safety improvements Additionally, most participants felt they had learned tools to improve their strength, modify their home environment and reduce their risk of falls All stated they would recommend the class to others and over 70% preferred the Virtual platform citing better accessibility and decreased travel burden Conclusion: Despite the transition of our fall prevention program to an all virtual platform, Veterans still reported a reduction to risk factors to falling Additionally, most Veterans prefered a virtual format for its ease of accessibility suggesting that post-pandemic, our virtual MOV-ing FREE-ly program will continue to support many Veterans, including those whom are rural and home-bound