According to the Tennessee Department of Health, one of three adults age 65 or older falls each year. For older adults, a fall can cause severe injuries, such as fractures or concussions. Falling and the fear of falling can hamper individuals\u2019 ability to lead healthy, independent lives. UTC students from various fields did their part to help prevent falls at Fall Prevention Awareness Day.<\/p>\n
\u201cA fall can cause injuries like a broken hip, after which they might have to go to a nursing home. And that puts them at a big risk for decreased independence and never really getting home again. We\u2019re trying to work together to prevent that before it happens,\u201d explains Meredith Russell, a physical therapy graduate student.<\/p>\n
Students from a wide range of departments partnered with local organizations to offer a Falls Prevention Awareness Day at Lowe\u2019s in Hixson, Tennessee. Students from the Department of Nursing, Physical Therapy, Athletic Training, Occupational Therapy, and Social Work partnered with the Health Department, Siskin Rehab, and others to organize this event.<\/p>\n
UTC not only helped raise awareness about the risk of falls for older adults, but also provided its students with experiential learning necessary for future health care professionals. This event was a part of InterProfessional Collaborative Practice Approach for Geriatric Education Strategies (ICPC-AGES) and Providing Advanced, Culturally Competent Care through Clinical Training (PACT4). In response to regional health indicators and health workforce needs, UTC designed IPCP-AGES and PACT4 with the support of Heath Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grants.<\/p>\n
\u201cHistorically, health professions programs have been really compartmentalized, but there is an increasing emphasis on interdisciplinary education and activities so these professionals, once they graduate, have a better understanding of what each other\u2019s relative strengths are and are able to better coordinate care for the patients they are all working with. The goal is to provide better patient-centered care,\u201d says Dr. Gary Wilkerson, EdD ATC, a faculty member of the Athletic Training Program.<\/p>\n
Health care professionals need to be prepared to interact effectively as part of collaborative health care teams to enhance patient safety and offer effective care. The IPCP-AGES project will advance interprofessional preparation and create more efficient and integrated practices that lead to high quality patient and population-centered outcomes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are bringing inter-professional education to other health professions because we know that as a community, health professions have got to learn how to work as a team to provide safe, effective care,\u201d says Dr. Candace Bishop, DNP, APN, FNP-BC, Faculty Coordinator for IPCP-AGES Award, and faculty member in the UTC School of Nursing.<\/p>\n
UTC students and faculty worked in stations throughout Lowe\u2019s, providing information to\u00a0older adults, family members, caregivers, and service providers. They demonstrated items that can be used in the home of an older person to create safer living conditions. They also discussed fall risk factors and recommendations to prevent a fall and promote safety in the home environment. Visitors were able to tour home safety stations, watch a fall prevention and home safety demonstration by local experts, talk to aging-in-place specialists, sign up for a balance screening, and learn about other free prevention programs in the area.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn social work, our mission is to help those in need, so anything we can do to promote knowledge and experience in our students is important. It\u2019s important to teach our students how vital it is to work with other disciplines and to partner with other agencies in the community to help those people in need. I think this is a great opportunity for our students and our community,\u201d says Dr. Cathy Scott, a faculty member with the UTC Social Work Program.<\/p>\n
With support from HRSA, the IPCP-AGES project intends to improve the quality of geriatric healthcare and health outcomes for older adults, their families, and underserved communities.<\/p>\n
\u201cUTC students\u2019 professions will take them out into the community and that\u2019s where it counts. If we\u2019re going to affect our community, then we have to get out there and learn how to work together. We have to see how the other professions are teaching and how they might answer a question. We learn from that. The students are learning from each other as well as instilling what they are being taught to the community,\u201d says Bishop. \u201cIt is very exciting that UTC supports all of these students in all of these professions in these grant endeavors because it\u2019s going to have a big impact. We\u2019re very fortunate that we\u2019re able to do these types of community events and to show the community that UTC cares. It\u2019s not just the School of Nursing or the School of Physical Therapy, it\u2019s the whole University that cares about the community and supports it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
According to the Tennessee Department of Health, one of three adults age 65 or older falls each year. For older adults, a fall can cause severe injuries, such as fractures or concussions. Falling and the fear of falling can hamper individuals\u2019 ability to lead healthy, independent lives. UTC students from various fields did their part to help prevent falls at Fall Prevention Awareness Day.<\/p>\n