Informal Caregivers’ Role in Preventing Falls in Older Adults with Cognitive Impairment: A Scoping Review

Author(s): Carolyn Tran, Munira Sultana

Informal caregivers play a crucial role in preventing falls in Canadian older adults with cognitive impairment, yet little is known about the supports available to them. This scoping review aimed to map the existing supports and programs available to informal caregivers of older adults with cognitive impairment for fall prevention and to identify gaps in current resources. We searched seven academic databases and various grey literature sources. Eligible studies focused on Canada, involved informal caregivers of older adults with cognitive impairment, and addressed falls or fall-prevention supports. Findings were synthesized using content analysis. Out of 1,487 records, we identified five peer-reviewed studies and 15 grey literature sources that met our eligibility criteria. The results indicated that informal caregivers frequently expressed concerns about fall risk, yet few studies reported actual engagement with formal fall-prevention resources. While the grey literature highlighted some fall-prevention resources, these supports were often fragmented and hard to locate. This review found that the role of informal caregivers in fall prevention is both under-recognized and under-supported in Canada. Future work should explore caregivers’ help-seeking behaviours, their awareness of available supports, and the barriers they face in implementing fall-prevention measures.