“A Matter of Balance”: An Interprofessional Lay Leader Adventure
Eleni Bautz, SPT, Stacey Beatty, OTS, Grace Laughlin, SPT, Desirae LeBlanc, OTS, Patrick O’Connell, OTS, Leanne Quackenbush, OTS, Kendra Stephens, SPT, Ashley Tullo, SPT, Rolene Yousefyan, SPT
Faculty Mentors: Regi Robnett, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA & Erin Hartigan, PT, DPT, PhD, ATC, OCS
- Nationally recognized preventative program to reduce the fear of falling and increase activity levels among older adults
- Evidence-based fall prevention program
- Emphasizes self-efficacy and advocacy
- Eight session workshop meeting 1x per week for 2 hours
- Volunteer lay leader model
- Participants are community dwelling older adults
- Provided by MaineHealth’s Partnership for Healthy Aging
- Only one location has been completed
OT students
- OTs work with older adults in relation to falling and falls efficacy to increase independence in daily activities
- OTs facilitate clients’ autonomy to create solutions, adapt environments, and improve performance skills to participate in meaningful occupations
PT students
- PTs screen patients for fall risk, treat balance impairments, and establish strengthening programs aimed at improving balance
- PTs provide fall risk assessments to educate individuals on their risk of falling and to provide options for addressing those risks
Benefits of working together
- Working collaboratively during this program provided the opportunity for student lay leaders to gain a deeper understanding of how each profession views their clientele and the profession’s role in fall prevention and recovery
- Together lay leaders better understand the physical and psychological aspects of falling, and address them to maximize movement and participation in daily activities
Values & Ethics
- Together, we maintain an environment of shared values and mutual respect, making AMOB a positive and valuable experience for the participants as well as the lay leaders
Roles & Responsibilities
- When answering questions or providing resources to participants, we acknowledge when a topic fits better into one profession’s domain
Communication
- Communication plays a large role in making AMOB sessions run efficiently and effectively, as each session includes planning, organizing, and discussion
Teamwork
- All lay leaders work together to make sure each session is fully staffed, the environment is prepared, and activity presentations are delegated
Collaborative Leadership
- Each lay leader contributes their own knowledge and experience in a respectful and collaborative way, enhancing learning for all
- Increase effective collaboration and communication in order to transfer skills to the clinical setting, thus improving health outcomes of future clients
- Increase understanding of each discipline’s role in fall prevention
- Learn about the first-hand experiences of older adults in overcoming their fear of falling
- Learn how to implement an evidence-based fall prevention program
“The course was excellent. The instructors were great. They were well prepared and made it fun!” - Participant A
The most significant benefit of this program was, “being with people at the same stage and hearing their fears.” - Participant B
“I really appreciate learning from young professionals and I’m greatly benefiting from this program.” - Participant C
“This was an excellent experience getting to hear from all of the participants and gain a better understanding of their everyday fears.” - Lay Leader A
“AMOB was a very beneficial opportunity for working with students from other professions and we all learned a lot from each other.” - Lay Leader B
What is A Matter of Balance (AMOB)?
Goals of the AMOB IPE Team
Preliminary Berg Balance Scale Findings
Participant/Lay Leader Feedback
Relationship to IP Competency Domains
Contribution From OT/PT Students
Thank you to IPEC for a mini-grant to pay SMAA for the training of the OT and PT student leaders