Campus Connection

UWL Physical Therapy students partner with seniors to prevent falls

UWL student Jeremie Schiedermayer envisions a future career improving people’s quality of life — whether that means maintaining an ability to walk, carry on an independent daily routine or having the mobility to stay in the workforce. As a physical therapy student, he is aiming for a career in a growing field. Employment of physical therapists is projected to grow 28 percent from 2016 to 2026, faster than the average for all occupations, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Schiedermayer and many other UWL Doctorate of Physical Therapy students are getting practice for the profession in the La Crosse community. This spring semester, Schiedermayer and a group of UWL students are volunteering to lead a falls-prevention program at Eagle Crest North, a Bethany Lutheran Homes senior community in Onalaska. The students run two, 70-minute sessions weekly, focused on strength, flexibility, balance and aerobic activity. They also cover factors that increase and decrease the risk of falls. Donna Brogan, life enrichment coordinator at Eagle Crest North, says UWL students have volunteered at the facility in the past. “College students are amazing — this group especially. They are not just doing the exercises with our residents, they are also getting to know them,” she says. “With that, the residents are more apt to come and do the exercises.” And that helps initiate a healthy pattern in their life, Brogan adds. Up to 10-15 assisted-living and independent-living residents regularly attend. Brogan sees a need for continuous education on fall prevention at Eagle Crest. Having the convenience of doing the exercises at the facility instead a separate location is a plus, she adds. [caption id="attachment_51702" align="alignnone" width="594"] The falls prevention program is one of many health and wellness programs happening throughout the community with UWL Physical Therapy Department students.[/caption] The falls prevention program is just one of many health and wellness programs happening throughout the community with UWL Physical Therapy Department students in Professor Heather Fortuine’s class. Students are conducting an Exercise Program for Older Adults at Bethany Church and a Parkinson's Exercise Program on campus in the Health Science Center, among other activities. The students’ work fits well with the university’s strategic planning goal to increase UWL’s engagement with the community. All of the student groups began their community projects by looking for health gaps in the community based on a federal government Healthy People 2020 website, which includes studies and resources related to health. Then, students used their physical therapy knowledge to figure out how to fill those gaps. The older adults objectives on the Healthy People 2020 website focuses on improving health, function and quality of life in older adults — defined as age 65 and older. The national baseline for older adults who had moderate to severe functional limitations in 2007 was nearly 30 percent, according to the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The target goal for 2020 is to reduce this by 3 percent. Schiedermayer’s group aimed to help residents minimize the risk of a fall. Research has shown that residents in nursing home settings averaged 1.5 falls per year and nearly 40 percent of the people who fell required medical treatment or activity restriction following the fall, says Schiedermayer. The program students developed serves two major purposes, notes Schiedermayer. “The first is using multi-modal intervention strategies for falls prevention in senior communities,” he explains. “The second is having the opportunity to build rapport with clients to gain a better understanding of their perspectives and goals.” Fortuine is proud of the work the students are doing. “They each put a lot of scholarship and hard work into the development and implementation of these excellent programs,” she says. “It is wonderful to see the positive impact they are making in the lives of individuals and our larger community.” .