In 2024 the GTA Rehab Network, in collaboration with Toronto Community Paramedic Services and the North Western Toronto Ontario Health Team (NWT OHT), successfully piloted a secondary fall prevention initiative in the NWT OHT region.

The Community Paramedic Post-Fall Rehab Pathway, developed by the Rehabilitative Care Alliance (RCA), focuses on older adults who call 911 for a fall, or report a fall to paramedics, but are not transported to hospital. Community paramedics assess fall risk factors and connect individuals to appropriate rehabilitation, fall prevention and community-based services.

In fall 2025, a pilot of the pathway completed within the NWT OHT resulted in several improvements in care. Community paramedics:

• strengthened their assessment and documentation of fall risk factors
• made referrals to a broader range of rehabilitation and fall prevention services, and
• more consistently shared assessment findings with providers, including Ontario Health atHome and primary care

Patient feedback was also highly positive, with more than 90 per cent of surveyed participants rating their likelihood of recommending the service as 7 out of 7. As one caregiver shared:

“We felt a sense of relief in that the community was finally stepping up to help seniors…resources are limited…and finally we were able to spend a little more time on ourselves, because we knew that my dad was being cared for…as a caregiver and healthcare worker, I have to say it was an excellent program.”

Recognized as a Promising Practice

The pathway has been recognized by Healthcare Excellence Canada as a Promising Practice through its Enabling Aging in Place initiative, highlighting its potential to improve access to rehabilitation and community supports for older adults following a fall.

Spread and Scale

The NWT OHT area was chosen for the initial pilot in part because it has one of the highest number of seniors in the province – a number that is expected to double by 2036, as reported by the OHA.

In December 2025, leadership of the pathway transitioned to the NWT OHT. The GTA Rehab Network continues to support the spread and scale of the pathway across additional OHTs and regional paramedic services throughout the GTA, including in the West Toronto and North Toronto OHTs.

For more information, please contact the GTA Rehab Network directly.  A recent update of post-fall pathway implementation is also available on the RCA’s website.