Physical Therapy Students Keeping Seniors on Their Feet and Out of DangerFall prevention month is recognized in September and Touro University Nevada School of Physical Therapy hosted events across the valley to screen seniors and provide resources to help them avoid physical injuries. Daniel Huddart, DPT and second-year physical therapy students guide seniors through cognitive tests and physical tasks that provide a score that highlights areas for improvement. Prescriptions and other conditions also play a role in this evaluation that may contribute to an individual’s fall risk. While students assess strength, balance, and mobility, they are also developing and strengthening their communication skills.“To be an effective healthcare professional and advocate for our patients we must have good communication,” said Dr. Huddart. “That comes with practice and experience interacting with people from all different backgrounds and generations. Putting our students out in the community to ensure our senior community is safe, it also builds their soft skills to provide the best patient-centered care.” The students encounter new complexities of engaging with a person who has potential hearing difficulties, complex medical background, dedicating more time for a slower pace, or other cognitive impairments. Tianna Aiken, a physical therapy student who participated in a fall prevention clinic, had firsthand experience untangling the complexities of treating a real-life patient. “In the traditional academic setting, we take part in a lot of role-play related to the types of patients we will soon be treating, but these events really emphasized the importance of humility, understanding, and breaking out of the medical jargon. This event challenged our ability to use the knowledge obtained in class and apply it to real-world settings while educating those actually affected to bring about meaningful change. It is easy to act out these types of cases in class, but to have that patient in front of you puts you into the role of an assuming clinician and pushes you to be confident in your training,” she shared. “This training is crucial, as falls are a serious health concern that become increasingly catastrophic with age; impacting physical health, mental well-being, and overall independence,” shared Dr. Huddart. “While many health issues are beyond our control, preventing falls is one area where proactive steps can make a real difference.” Falls are the number one cause of fatal and nonfatal injuries for older adults, with 1 in 4 reporting falling every year. On a local level, 28% of adults reported falling in the past 12 months, making Nevada 21st for people aged 65 and up according to United Health Foundation. Falls can have serious consequences with high medical costs on top of a higher risk of falling again within a year. During the pop-up clinics held during the month roughly 40% of the screened seniors did present as a fall risk. “Real patient cases like these remind us that these individuals are not textbook descriptions and require individuality when creating the perfect plan of care,” shared Aiken. “There are many more factors that real patients have compared to the simulated cases done in class and there is not necessarily a clear answer on how to solve their problem. Hence the importance of learning the patient for who they are, versus what symptoms they present with, and the associated quality of life predicted for them.” Link: http://www.tun.touro.edu Submitted: 10/03/25 Article By: Touro University Nevada |