Page 24 - OPTA Access March 2018

APTA National Student Conclave Recap
Jacob Wahl – SPTA, Zane State College
I arrived in Portland a day before the of cial start of the APTA Student Conclave, as it was my rst trip to the West Coast and I wanted to make the most of it I spent the day taking in all the sights I could – Voodoo Donuts, Powell’s World of Books, and Old Town Chinatown (where I got a ramen bowl with boiled egg and barbecue pork twice the size of my head for eight dollars) Lastly, I took a bus to the edge of the city and walked uphill for about a mile in the rain, of course, because it’s Portland After my journey, I reached the famous and historic Pittock Mansion, a turn-of- the-century estate once home to a logging mogul and his wife On a clear day, one can see Mt Hood, the whole of Portland, and beyond from where the mansion is perched After a long time exploring the Mansion’s extensive grounds, it was time for a good night’s sleep in preparation for an early morning at the conference
Jacob Wahl pictured here with APTA President Sharon Dunn
After a complimentary breakfast and coffee, I sat down
for the rst of the day’s many educational sessions. One session that really stuck with me had to do with reshaping the way we think about geriatrics. When I rst started
PTA school at Zane State College, the thought of working with the geriatric population seemed unexciting But the
fact is that what is being dubbed “the Silver Tsunami” is
fast approaching – the Baby Boomers are aging, and
there are a lot of them This means that physical therapy professionals are going to be in an ever-increasing demand We, as clinicians, owe it to our geriatric patients to provide them with care that is not just effective, but fun One of the speakers in the session I attended showed me an example of care that is effective and fun, and I actually used it to
pass a recent lab practical with a little are. Working on balance by overhead reaching and reaching outside the base of support can get repetitive But with the addition of some upbeat music and a little rhythm, overhead reaching and reaching outside the base of support suddenly becomes dancing And that’s way more fun than just practicing balance!
Jacob Wahl showing his support for the #ChoosePT initiative
Another session I attended hit on the topic of geriatric physical therapy with regard to where it takes place A speaker said he does not believe the future of physical therapy is in a “four-walled clinic” That resonated with me Why force a population that potentially has problems with mobility to overcome inclement weather, environmental barriers, and other challenges to attend their outpatient therapy sessions? Instead, we could more consistently bring the therapy to them, in their homes and places of comfort Providing in-home physical therapy services to the geriatric population is not only more comfortable and convenient for that population, but it could provide a lucrative business opportunity for clinicians in states with direct access laws
If more senior adults become aware that they do not need a referral from a physician to get the physical therapy they need and desire, they’ll be more inclined to take advantage of that opportunity All it takes is a little marketing! Some companies are already operating on a business model like this, but I believe the physical therapy profession is going to increasingly shift in this direction as time goes on We should be ready and excited for that shift!
I’m very grateful to the OPTA for providing the funding to send me on this trip to Portland and the APTA Student Conclave Attending the conference allowed me to make valuable connections in the world of physical therapy and learn things that I wouldn’t have learned otherwise I can’t wait to attend my next conference and continue to be involved in this great profession!
24 | March 2018 | OPTA