PEER SUPPORT AND LEARNING:
This was a record breaking year for the American Physical Therapy Association’s national conference. Over 16,000 physical therapy professionals descended on Washington DC to learn, collaborate and teach all of the latest and greatest knowledge. We were honored to have been chosen to teach a course alongside academic professionals at our national conference and spent a day coaching participants the subtleties of grant writing and the amazing community projects that we can accomplish when we put our heads together!
PROACTIVE COMMUNITY EDUCATION AND SUPPORT:
We were invited to share about our “boots on the ground” efforts to improve our community’s accessibility and walkability highlighting our successes and learning from our failures to inspire others to go out into their community and make a difference.
It was an amazing experience to stand alongside some of the most intelligent people in our industry and be recognized as innovators! We have been invited back next year as presenters, as well, and if our proposal is accepted we will be able to once again have a voice to promote change for the betterment of our profession.
WOMEN’S HEALTH TRENDS and PERSON CENTERED CARE:
During the conference I attended courses on Women’s health and Incontinence, nutrition, as well as courses on avoiding injury and disease. It was gratifying to see that many of the principles we use in the clinic are starting to gain traction within our profession- truly making “healthcare” into “person centered care” and that keeping people well instead of waiting for them to break so we can “fix” them. Taking our “person centered care” to the streets, we helped pack and distribute 36 bags of food and supplies to the homeless living around DC- which was truly an eye-opening experience.
Our national conference was a wonderful experience and I look forward to bringing this incredible knowledge to you with seminars, classes and treatment interventions that continue to address you as a whole, wonderful and unique person.