Balance Management
Did you know that if someone over the age of 80 breaks their hip they have over an 80% chance of dying in the next year?
A single fall can lead to serious and life threatening injuries as well as ruining your independence. We use a series of tests to rate your fall risk and identify your unique limitations. We will help you build strength and improve balance as well as reduce fall risks around your home.
Before your first visit we will discuss your lifestyle, home life, health, as well as what you would like to achieve with therapy. We will come up with a time and place to meet and you will receive paperwork to complete before your first visit.
Your first visit will include:
Paperwork
A quick review of the paperwork so we can address anything not discussed during our phone conversation.
Vitals Check
A quick check of your blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen saturation at home to get a baseline. A check in your own environment without the stress of being in a doctors office will be more accurate.
Strength and Mobility Assessment
A thorough strength and mobility assessment is needed to determine whether or not this is a factor in your balance.
Special Tests
The tests listed below will determine the most important areas of balance that need to be addressed. We will start with the Berg Balance Test. As your balance gets better we will perform further testing.
Berg Balance Test
The gold standard of balance tests - a 14 item clinical test of a person's static and dynamic balance abilities.
Tinetti
Performance Oriented Mobility Assessment is a common clinical test for assessing a person's static and dynamic balance abilities.
BESTest
Consists of 36 items, grouped into 6 systems: “Biomechanical Constraints,” “Stability Limits/Verticality,” “Anticipatory Postural Adjustments,” “Postural Responses,” “Sensory Orientation,” and “Stability in Gait.” It is unique in allowing clinicians to determine the type of balance problems to direct specific treatments for their patients. By organizing clinical balance test items already in use, combined with new items not currently available, the BESTest is the most comprehensive clinical balance tool available.
Home Evaluation
Over the next several visits we will be taking a look at your home environment and determining if there is anything that we can do to decrease your risk of falling.
In the last 15 minutes of your initial visit we will discuss and come up with exercises for home as well as a treatment plan involving frequency of telephone versus in person visits.
