Balance & Falls Special Interest Group

Download Oct 2020 Highlight.pdf

It's Fall Prevention Awareness Week!

September 21-25, 2020

Check out these resources for you and your patients:

• The National Council on Aging (NCOA) is promoting Fall Prevention Awareness Week with resources on its website. Find videos and practical tips for patients and a toolkit of marketing materials for health professionals at https://www.ncoa.org/healthy-aging/falls-prevention/falls-prevention-awareness-week/.
• NCOA will also be hosting a Facebook Live event on September 23 featuring Balance and Falls SIG Chair Jennifer Vincenzo, PT, MPH, PhD. Watch it here at 6:30 pm ET: https://www.facebook.com/NCOAging/
• The 2nd edition of the Falls Prevention Awareness Toolkit: A Comprehensive Guide to Professional & Community Engagement for Geriatric Fall/Balance Assessment, developed by the Balance and Falls SIG, is now available for download. https://geriatricspt.org/special-interest-groups/balance-falls/nfpad/. The resources provided within the toolkit are designed to assist clinicians and students in creating and/or improving their community-based falls prevention events by utilizing current evidence and a wide-variety of quality resources.
• More than 25% of older adults experience a fall in any given year. In this video, developed by the NSGA/APTA Geriatrics Task Force, Becca Jordre, PT, DPT shares resources and exercises for helping with balance and fall prevention at home. https://youtu.be/V13EjcJaalk

Download Sept 2020 Highlight.pdf

Download July 2020 Highlight.pdf

Download July 2020 Chair Newsletter.pdf

Download May 2020 Student Highlight_FINAL.pdf

Download

Download January 2020 Highlight.pdf

Download

https://geriatricspt.org/?cfp5qj

We are pleased to offer access to these research “1-pagers” on the value of physical activity and role of physical therapists in preventing falls or reducing fall risk; value of physical therapists in reducing readmissions; and the value of early mobilization.

http://geriatricspt.org/?wh3wu2

https://geriatricspt.org/?b9hxvg

Dear Balance and Fall SIG Members;

I hope that those who were at CSM last week had a safe journey home. For those who were unable to join us, I hope that the minutes below will provide you with insights about our great projects as well as plans.

This was my last Balance and Falls SIG meeting and I wanted to thank each and everyone of you for all that you have done and do. When I started as Balance and Falls SIG chair I had many visions and as most things go, each component of the vision took much longer than expected. However, I have provided the incoming chair with a large amount of information about where the SIG has started, how it has grown, and what possible opportunities there are. Jennifer Vincenzo is a great leader who is very knowledgeable in public health as well as fall prevention and will be an amazing Chair of this SIG.

Here are the minutes from our SIG meeting at CSM.

1. Introduction of incoming officers/liaisons:
   1. Chair: Jennifer Vincenzo, PT, MPH, PhD
   2. Vice Chair: Shweta Subramani, PT, MHS
   3. Secretary/Treasurer: Heidi Moyer, PT, DPT
   4. Nominating Committee Chair: Anne Reilley, PT, DPT
   5. Research Liaison: Elizabeth Wang-Hsu, PT, PhD
   6. Clinical Liaisons: Haim Nesser, PT, DPT, CEEAA
   7. Public Liaison: Angela Onyekanne, PT, DPT
   8. PTA Liaison: Brenda Holman, PTA
2. Guest Presenter: David Taylor, an active member of the AGPT and Balance and Falls SIG, has been working with the CDC on multiple projects. This includes:
   1. Improving and implementing the STEADI
   2. Increasing clinical community partnerships: PT’s need to get out of our clinics and into the communities
   3. The addition of a 4^th component on the STEADI: outcomes- PTs will have a role in this, however, the details have not been specified.
   4. My Mobility Plan:
      1. If you have not seen it, please check it out: https://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/older_adult_drivers/mymobility/index.html
      2. Rational: trying to promote a healthy aging perspective through positive changes
3. AGPT Strategic Plan – where does the Balance and Falls SIG fit in
   1. Assisting with the NCOA partnership: the AGPT created a NCOA task force which just met for the first time at CSM. Our chair and a couple of members are actively involved in the process and will share any updates that arise.
   2. CEU’s
      1. Just like the Health Promotion and Wellness SIG, our SIG will be putting together at least 2 webinars
      2. Current topic ideas are:
         1. Aging in place
         2. Falls prevention in long term care
         3. If you have any other ideas please e-mail agptbalanceandfallssig@gmail.com
         4. There is also a discussion about putting together a webinar that would have representatives from the AGPT and CDC.
4. Update on current projects
   1. Journal Club has grown significantly over the last three years and continues to grow. There is current discussion about possible changes to the journal club, including the possibility of adding CEU’s and recording it. However, the details about these changes have not been discussed and for now Mariana Wingood (the outgoing chair) will continue facilitating/organizing the Journal Club.
   2. National Falls Prevention Awareness Day (NFPAD) Toolbox taskforce is currently working on putting together a toolbox that will improve the ease of your NFPAD events. It will include ideas for events, material for marketing (State Advocates, promotional of involving other disciplines, advertisements, consent for, photo releases), materials for community presentations, materials for healthcare professional presentations, etc. It is in its final stages and we hope to roll this out in the next few months. When we roll it out we hope to have conference call to inform you off the material included, where to find it, and how to use it.
   3. Inter-SIG Efforts
      1. Working with Neurology and Oncology’s Balance and Falls SIG Chairs- calling it the Tri-Alliance. Hoping to present at CSM2020.
      2. Working with the Foot and Ankle SIG of the Orthopaedic Academy to discuss the relationship between Falls and Foot/Ankle impairments. Hoping to present on this at CSM 2020.
   4. Monthly Challenge
      1. Was started in 2017 and it is only sent out to the members who agreed to get the e-mail. One reason for this is that we don’t want to overwhelm everyone’s inbox. If you want to receive e-mails please send an e-mail to the agptbalanceandfallssig@gmail.com.
      2. The monthly challenge is sent out at the beginning of the month and at times there are some great discussions. These occur when people hit reply all and it is highly promoted to hit reply all and promote discussion.
      3. To learn more go to our website or use the direct link for the Monthly Challenge: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1NGIqAMNvgXKcrM33qYVoT_oCgMzKwWv4
   5. Outcome Projects
      1. The project started in 2017 and it is currently in its final stages.
      2. This project sounds similar to the EDGE taskforce; however, it is not as thorough as the EDGE. Its main purpose is to disseminate information at a faster rate with the inclusion of other patient populations/settings.
      3. The goal is to provide quick and easy resources for clinicians that are updated on a regular basis.
      4. The project had 4 phases:
         1. Phase 1: Performed a thorough literature search and completed a list of published outcome measures related to balance and falls.
         2. Phase 2: Review process, broken down into 5 rounds to review all outcome measures
         3. Phase 3: cross-validate and make recommendations
         4. Phase 4: create web medium that is accessible to members to utilize, will be updated by clinical liaison, research liaison, and a team of dedicated volunteers
5. Resources: Provided updates about some great resources available including- State Advocates (every state, with the exception of Alaska, Missouri, and South Dakota has one or two), NCOA, CDC, State Coalitions, and don’t forget about your Community Partners.
6. Projects/ideas that were not discussed but are in the works- if interested in assisting with any of these components please e-mail: agptbalanceandfallssig@gmail.com
   1. Putting together a working document where individuals will be able to find as well as add any piece of technology or assistive device that is helping their patient with fall prevention and/or that are used in clinic.
   2. Putting together a document that summarizes the current level of evidence for Interventions.
   3. Facebook Live or Twitter Event where the SIG introduces individuals to what is available on our website. Plan on working with the AGPT to also provide videos on how to join a SIG.
   4. Networking opportunities
      1. Putting together a directory. This would be a working document where individuals who want to network could put their contact information. It will include a section for researchers, educators, and clinicians who are interested in various fall-prevention related work.
      2. Putting together a networking/social event at CSM next year. The Academy of Orthopaedic SIGs have a member meeting and a social event and since many individuals want to socialize/network at the Balance and Falls SIG meeting, but we never have time we may try to put together an additional social event for this purpose.

Thank you all.

Mariana Wingood

Out-going Balance and Falls SIG Chair