Recruitment and Tips

Recruiting Coaches:

Coaches do not have to be healthcare professionals. It is ideal that these leaders come with lived experiences and/or clear motivation for facilitation and community resource sharing.

They must understand that they are LAY LEADERS with no expectation for clinical knowledge surrounding falls, fractures, home safety, etc. In fact, clinicians will need to be reminded that when they are facilitating A Matter of Balance, they must stick to the script! Additional information may be provided by the Guest Healthcare Professional and on the resource table. 

That said, here are some great places to recruit leaders: 

1. Class Completers - participants are some of your best to recruit as coaches!

2. Volunteers - senior centers, RSVP, civic groups

3. Home care and home health marketing and outreach staff

4. Movement studios, such as yoga centers and community exercise sites

5. Employees of stakeholder organizations

Perform a general scan of your community - where do you intend to hold the classes? Will the site options impact your coach recruitment in any way? Can you provide new coaches class schedules during their training? 

It is best to have the coaches reflect the community you are serving - bringing in diverse people to address the diverse needs of the aging population, as well as establishing mutually rewarding connections for the coach and participants/target population. 

Review: 

All A Matter of Balance coaches are lay leaders and should review the fidelity guidelines for the program - recommended to do so within one week after coach training is complete.

Contact your Master Trainer as soon as you have a class scheduled, so they may review the program information pages, including the paperwork that you will have participants complete. 

Ensure you keep your Coach Handbook handy - electronic versions should be easily accessible and you should have a hard copy as well to guide your way.

Video links are not to be shared with participants or others - only trained A Matter of Balance coaches should use the video. 

Reflect:

Try the exercises and read the manual on your own.

Reflect on questions you may have if you were participating in the class. Jot notes down about your observations. 

Consider how you might feel if you were fearful of falling and planning to participate in the class. What might some of the needs you encounter be? Could it be that they have seen a friend fall and are now concerned for their own safety? Do they have neuropathy? Have they been told by their doctor that a fall could threaten their independence? Put yourself in their shoes as much as possible - review intrinsic and extrinsic fall risk factors. 

Gather resources available in your area that you may wish to share on the resource table.

Site Selection:

Be mindful about the site you select. Implementation or “host” sites can also be listed on program promotions (flyers, etc.) as sponsors, including their logos. Host site staff can be considered as guest healthcare professionals, but must meet all the criteria. 

Sites must be equipped with chairs (no wheels!) that ideally have arm rests and tables. Additionally, they must have a setup for you to show the videos on a screen large enough for participants. 

Sites should be considered that are accessible and within a general proximity to your target population. Sites must understand that their liability insurance for emergencies is important, as we do not carry individual coach insurance and are not emergency responders. That said, communication about emergencies, closures, and/or other details important for logistics should be ongoing - including how much time it takes to set up/break down, how the room should be left, and if there are other programs happening around the classes. These classes should be held in a space that allows for confidentiality/privacy, hearing others, seeing the coaches clearly, and with enough space for all to practice exercises comfortably. 

Program Promotion/Recruiting Participants:

Program promotion should be consistent with equity principles and demonstrate positive messaging about viewing falls as preventable. Images should not promote fear!

Use the provided sample flyers as a starting point, but feel free to get creative! Use a variety of images that align with your geographic area as well as with the target audience, in addition to promoting any sponsors. 

Provide a “Session Zero” for informational purposes. Invite a participant to share their story and/or use testimonials!

Promote via free advertising (flyers, community calendars, social media, newsletters) and, if you have the resources, consider paid newspaper ads!

Examples of great locations to share in promotion: senior centers, grocery stores, libraries, churches/synagogues, community centers, social media, parks, HUD housing, health fairs, and in retirement communities.