Falls and The Built Environment: Buildings that Protect Residents & Staff 

When:

This Event has Passed

Wednesday, December 17, 2025
1 pm ET, noon CT, 11 am MT, 10 am PT

Where:

Webinar

This webinar has already taken place. Logged-in SAGE members can access the recording and resources below.

Presented by

Maggie Calkins, PhD, EDAC, FGSA – Principal, IDEAS Institute

Lisa Cini, ASID, IIDA, PMP – Founder, President, & CEO, Mosaic Design Studio

Joel Cormier – Director of Sales & Engineering, Viconic

Steve Muller – Chief Operating Officer, Garden Spot Communities

Course Description

Every eleven seconds, an older adult is treated in the emergency room for a fall (CDC). And once they fall, there is a 90% chance they will continue to fall leading to hospitalizations, decline in function, and reduced life expectancy.

Senior care providers are challenged to protect residents (and staff) from falling, while preserving autonomy and quality of life. Traditional fall management programs rely on technology to predict, prevent, and/or report falls. But there is growing interest in putting the building itself to work against falls as well. Join our diverse panel as we share ideas, challenges, and examples from the field. Participants will gain insight and practical tips on how to make the built environment an actual intervention for falls and will be encouraged to share their experience.

We will cover both existing buildings and new construction, and how relatively simple modifications can improve outcomes. Various care settings, including skilled nursing, transitional care, assisted living, and memory care will be explored.

Learning Objectives

• Describe how falls impact senior care residents and staff, as well as clinical and operational performance.

• Review elements of the built environment that play a role in fall prevention, detection, and protection.

• Explore techniques and interventions that leverage the built environment to support fall management strategies.

• Describe how active and passive strategies can contribute to resident safety, while improving autonomy and quality of life.