Updates from the Northeast District
As a student well on her path to becoming a Physical Therapist, I have seen the growing need for accessible health care and more specifically Physical Therapy. Over the past weekend I had the opportunity to help Physical Therapists, Alyssa Breslin and David Lin, perform free balance testing on community members. I was able to learn and apply my knowledge (with the assistance from a PT) of balance testing to educate and teach community members about their balance safety. We were able to do testing on a wide range of balance abilities. I was able to observe the balance testing on an individual who had an intensive medical history that affected their day to day walking and balance. After testing we educated this patient that their fall risk was relatively high and the importance of avoiding fall risks and speaking to a physical therapist about strength training. Due to their medical history, they were already in contact with a physical therapist and were already knowledgeable on being at high risk. Though this participant was already educated, it was important to realize that not all community members who were at high risk are in contact with a physical therapist. Bringing free physical therapy services is needed to prevent injuries and protect communities from medical problems. Global PT- day of service is bringing opportunities all around the world to teach and test community members.
McKenna Neff
