Falls, in particular, are a very serious problem for seniors. Much of the outreach Madison Physical and Occupational Therapy does in the senior community of Brooklyn focuses on “senior proofing” homes and safeguarding against falls.
Falling is the leading cause of injury deaths amomg people 65 years or older. In the United States, one of every three people in this age group falls each year.Of all fractures from falls, hip fractures cause the greatest number of deaths and lead to the most severe health problems. We regularly perform balance and risk of fall assessments for many of the seniors among our patients. When speaking at senior centers in Brooklyn, which we do frequently, we advise them to reduce the risk of falling by maintaining a regular exercise program; making their homes safer by removing tripping hazards and installing grab bars ( especially in bathrooms, where most falls occur in the home) and having their doctors review their medications to minimize side effects and interactions. If you have questions about steps to protect yourself-or loved ones- from falls, please let us know. We’re here to help!
National Physical Therapy Month began as National Physical Therapy Week in 1981. By 1992, it was expanded to a month long salute and moved to October. Quite simply , it’s a time to recognize the value of physical therapy and the good work done by physical therapists day in and day out. And for therapists, it provides a special time to engage with patients and members of the community.
The American Physical Therapy Association’s (APTA) focus for Physical Therapy Month this year is “sports injury prevention across the life span.” With that in mind, young or old, let physical therapists help keep you moving and enjoying a healthy lifestyle… During October and all year long!
As much as children may hope it’s not so, it’s that time of year again !
School will be starting upin just a few short weeks, earlier in some parts of the country. It’s a good time to remind parentsto exercise caution about their children’s backpaks, which are often used improperly or are overloaded. Nationally, it is estimated that some 10,000 school-aged kids visit doctors or the ER annually with complaints of back-related injuries. When backpacks are worn improperly or are too heavy, students are at a risk for spinal injury. We have seen it in our physical therapy practice and work with students to design individualized fitness programs to help them get strong and withstand the rigors of student life!
Some simple warning signs-
*Stuggling to put on or take off backpack.
*Change in posture or pain when wearing backpack.
*Tingling or numbness in arms, shoulders or hands.
*Red marks on shoulders from shoulder straps.
Remember- simple tips
*Backpack should not exceed 10-15 percent of a child’s total body weight.
*Wear both shoulder straps for better distribution of weight.
*Choose a backpack with multiple compartments.
*Pack heavier items at the bottom or closer to the back.
Get the school year off to a safe start. And don’t forget to include the backpacks!
It will be a busy couple of weeks ahead for physical therapist Jay Hunt (DPT). Jay, clinical supervisor at
Madison Physical and Occupational Therapy. frequently gives talks at Senior Centers in Brooklyn as part of the MPTOT community outreach effort. The remainder of July is no exception. On the 19th, Jay will make a presentation to the Wolcott Senior Center in Red Hook, followed the next day by an appearance at the Catholic Charities Senior Center in Brooklyn Heights. A week later, Jay will speak at the Wyckoff Center on July 26th. Later that week, on the 29th, he’ll be the featured speaker at the Glenwood Catholic Charities
Topics include: arthritis, balance assessment and reducing the risk of falls.
We hope to see some of you as MPTOT speaks….
Ubiquitous back pain.. Unfortunately, not many people are able to avoid it. In a June 24th story entitled ” Sit Up Straight. Your Back Thanks You,” The New York Times cites that 80% of Americans experience back pain at some point in their lives.
What can be done to help? For one thing, the writer suggests, developing core strength and proper posture can be helpful in preventing a great deal of back pain. The importance of an exercise plan and the value of physical therapy are highlighted. “A physical therapist can show you how to align your spine and provide you with exercises to both strengthen your core and loosen up stiff neck, back, arm and leg muscles (tight hamstrings can contribute to back pain “), the article says.
This is borne out by the work we do regularly with patients at Madison Physical and Occupational Therapy. We are able to help many of them with their pain. If you too are experiencing some form of back pain, please contact us at 718-648-0888 so that we can do a proper evaluation and develop a treatment plan to help you!
As part of our ongoing outreach to the senior community in Brooklyn, Madison Physical and Occupational Therapy frequently makes presentations at senior centers, health expos and other community events. In recent days, Jay Hunt (DPT), a highly regarded doctor of physical therapy and clinical supervisor of MPTOT, spoke to a great audience the St. Gabriels Senior. His topics included arthritis, balance assessment and reducing the risk of falls. Later in the month, Jay will be speaking at the Hebrew Educational Center in Canarsie, followed by a presentation the next day at the Catholic Charities Senior Center in Bay Ridge.
If your senior or community group would enjoy having a guest speaker on topics of interest, just contact Peter Burke at 718-648-0888. We look forward to SPEAKING with you!
Vist Madison Physical and Occupation Therapy on Twitter @madisonptot
Did you know that May is Arthritis Awareness Month? Did you also know these 10 interesting but little known facts about Arthritis?
1. Arthritis is far from a new disease. Many researchers believe it has been part of civilization since the beginning of time.
2. Did you know the word “arthritis” means inflammation? From the Greek!
3. There are more than 100 forms of Arthritis.
4. Were you aware Arthritis is the most common cause of disability in the Unites States?
5. Movement is one of the best treatment options for Arthritis.
6. Osteoarthritis, the most common form of Arthritis, is a chronic disease that affects some 27 million Americans.
7. There are two types of OA- primary and secondary. Primary is generally associated with aging. Secondary develops earlier in life, often 10 or more years after a specific cause , such as an injury or obesity.
8. Did you know children get Arthritis too? Nearly 300,000 children in the U.S. are living with JA ( Juvenile Arthritis).
9. JA is one of the most common chronic childhood conditions, occurring nearly as often as insulin-dependent juvenile diabetes.
10. Arthritis is more common among women than men.
There was dramatic news recently out of the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. For the first time in some 5 years, 26-year-old Emily Fennell had two hands! Fennell, who lost her right hand in a rollover car accident, showed off her newly donated hand , which she received in 14 1/2 hour surgery on March 5. A team of nearly 20 surgeons, nurses and support staff performed the transplant, grafting the hand from a deceased donor and connecting bones, nerves, blood vessels and tendons. For the past month , Fennell has been undergoing extensive rehabilitation. Central to the process is 8 hours of occupational therapy every day, as she practices simple yet critical tasks such as grasping and gripping objects to improve dexterity and strength. We salute Emily Fennell and the medical professionals who made this wonderful story possible. We will keep tabs on her progress and keep you posted.
Alison Schonfeld is Director of Occupational Therapy at Madison Physical and Occupational Therapy.
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY HELPS INDIVIDUALS
LIVE LIFE TO ITS FULLEST
Brooklyn, NY — Occupational therapy enables people of all ages live life to its fullest by helping them promote health, prevent—or live better with—injury, illness, or disability. It is a practice deeply rooted in science and is evidence-based, meaning that the plan designed for each individual is supported by data, experience, and “best practices” that have been developed and proven over time.
Occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants focus on “doing” whatever occupations or activities are meaningful to the individual. It is occupational therapy’s purpose to get beyond problems to the solutions that assure living life to its fullest. These solutions may be adaptations for how to do a task, changes to the surroundings, or helping individuals to alter their own behaviors.
When working with an occupational therapy practitioner, strategies and modifications are customized for each individual to resolve problems, improve function, and support everyday living activities. The goal is to maximize potential. Through these therapeutic approaches, occupational therapy helps individuals design their lives, develop needed skills, adjust their environments (e,g., home, school, or work) and build health-promoting habits and routines that will allow them to thrive.
By taking the full picture into account—a person’s psychological, physical, emotional, and social makeup as well as their environment—occupational therapy assists clients to do the following:
• Achieve goals
• Function at the highest possible level
• Concentrate on what matters most to them
• Maintain or rebuild their independence
• Participate in daily activities that they need or want to do.
For more information, contact Madison Physical and Occupational Therapy at 718-648-0888. Alison Schonfeld is Director of Occupational Therapy.
Founded in 1917, the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) represents the interests and concerns of more than 140,000 occupational therapists, assistants and students nationwide. The Association educates the public and advances the profession of occupational therapy by providing resources, setting standards including accreditations and serving as an advocate to improve health care. Based in Bethesda, Md., AOTA’s major programs and activities are directed toward promoting the professional development of its members and assuring consumer access to quality services so patients can maximize their individual potential. For more information, go to www.aota.org.
Complaints of dizziness have been one of the most obscure conditions to describe for patients. Patients have struggled with verbalizing sensations of dizziness to their health care providers as they try to make sense of it themselves. Dizziness is a very common condition of many origins through the age spectrum. Description of dizziness, length of time, circumstance of occurrence is vital to assisting your medical provider to help diagnose your dizziness. Dizziness can be benign or a sign of a more significant condition. Dizziness can occur with and without loss of balance but never the less a condition which should be treated. Origins can arise from structural/mechanical changes within the inner ear, vestibular nerve involvement, central based disease process, cardiac conditions, medications, anxiety, and viruses. Ninety percent of discovering the cause of dizziness is history and the other 10% is via exam. Key questions can help practitioners specializing in dizziness make a quicker a diagnosis and establish treatment.
1. Explain you’re what your dizziness feels like. You or the room spinning, floating, rocking, swaying, lightheadedness, or symptoms of being pushed or pulled.
2. What causes you to feel dizzy? Transitioning in and out of bed, looking up, bending forward, sitting, and standing, waking, while in a moving vehicle, moving within dark environments, busy environments, or moving your head.
3. How long does the dizziness last? Is it seconds, minutes, hours, or days?
4. Is there any position or activity which causes it to stop?
5. Does your head feel heavy or full?
6. Does your dizziness come with a sense of imbalance/falls?
The above questions provide a window into the first part of accessing answers to the cause of dizziness only to be followed by a practitioner specializing in the treatment of dizziness. For further work up. A quicker diagnosis leads to faster treatment, increased safety from falls, and prolonging independence and decreased burden of care.
