Falls prevention


Project roll out We launched a trial in 2023 across our eight homes to explore whether offering decaffeinated drinks by default would reduce the number of falls among residents associated with going to the toilet. This aligned effectively with the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) Quality Statements both around ‘effective care’ (supporting people to live healthier lives in particular), and also ‘well-led’ care with learning, improvement and innovation at the heart of care provision. The research focused on older people over the age of 65. Many of the residents who took part in


the trial lived with complex comorbidities including dementia or Parkinson’s disease, and most were very frail. Care homes with fewer falls are often those looking after residents with higher nursing needs, with many cared for in bed and not as mobile as other people living in the home. Homes supporting people living with dementia, who may still be very mobile, often experience notably more falls. (note: where residents’ conditions mean they are at a high risk of falls in any event, caffeine may not be a dominant factor in their falls risk). Almost nine in ten (89 per cent) of


approximately 350 residents chose to be part of the trial from the outset in June 2023, which meant they switched to drinking solely or predominantly decaffeinated drinks. This proportion rose to 92 per cent within five months of launch. Documented preferences were received


for 63 residents who completed blind taste testing across four homes, which indicated: n Roughly a fifth (19 per cent) were able to accurately tell whether a drink contained caffeine or not.


n More than one in five (22 per cent) said


7% 6% 5% 4% 3% 2% 1% 0%


The Decaf Project really is


the gift that keeps giving Professor Martin Green


they would prefer to continue drinking caffeinated drinks


n A third (33 per cent) said they would prefer to continue to drink decaffeinated products


n Nearly half (46 per cent) said they had no preference


n A tiny minority (3 per cent) gave multiple answers (decaffeinated and no preference)


n More than four in ten (43 per cent) said they would switch to decaffeinated products having been told of the potential benefits.


Promotional information such as posters, drinks coasters and easy read one-pagers were circulated to support residents’ awareness and decision making about participation. Overall, the people who took


part in the trial were positive about the changes; some commented they “always had decaf at home,” while another said she would like to try it as “it might help my continence”. Care home resident Russell said of the


project: “I’m drinking decaffeinated and haven’t noted any difference at all in the taste – I’ve probably got used to it. I haven’t had a fall for two or three months and I’m happy to stay drinking decaf. I’d like to think it’s working.”


Trial results Prior to the rolling out of decaffeinated products as the default option, there were an average of 16 toileting-related falls per month across Stow Healthcare’s eight homes, ranging from 12 to 19 across a four-month period. During the six month trial period between June to November 2023, this fell to an average of 10 toileting- related falls per month, ranging from a high of 15 in July to a low of five in August. This reduction represents a 38 per cent reduction in toileting-related falls following the implementation of decaffeinated drinks as the default option. These figures, however, fail to account for


Pre-trial - Avg: 5.12% Trial period - Avg: 3.32%


Figure 1: Toileting-related falls as a proportion of occupancy (Feb - Nov 2023) Feb 23 Mar 23 Apr23 May 23 Jun 23 Jul 23 Aug 23 Sep 23 Oct 23 Nov 23


32 www.thecarehomeenvironment.com September 2026


changes in average occupancy levels, which ranged from 286 to 321 between February – November 2023. Figure 1 outlines toileting- related falls as a proportion of average occupancy over that period. Pre-trial, toileting-related falls as a


proportion of average occupancy was around 5 per cent - meaning there was roughly one for every 20 residents each month. This ranged from a low of 3.8 per


Toileting falls (% of avg. occupancy)


David L/peopleimages.com - stock.adobe.com


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