2010 Fall Prevention Summit

2nd Annual Summit to Raise Awareness

The 2nd Annual Summit, hosted by Inova Loudoun Hospital, resulted in other local area hospitals joining our efforts for public awareness and fall prevention education. Over 125 participated, including many of our member vendors.

The seminar offered a series of informational sessions for Healthcare Professionals. Topics included discharge planning for high risk patients, Improving functional outcomes and proven fall prevention programs.

We hosted these keynote speakers:

• Dr. John Cook, Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Critical Care, and Geriatrics
• Nancy Dezan, Executive Director of the Alzheimer’s Family Day Center
• Judy Wiegert, Case Manager from the Brain Injury Services

Essential information from Dr. Cook’s presentation included how the body changes in feeling perception as we age, wearing eyeglasses propels individuals to look down more causing bad posture; and, the use of straight canes (rather than curved) gives support without having to bend at the waist. Straighter walking postures avert uneven body weight distribution that leads to falls.

Nancy Dezan relayed issues and key strategies for fall prevention in her presentation of the ‘Mind & Body Connection of Dementia’. Those with dementia have a loss of coordination, disorientation to rooms they have lived in for years, an inability to follow written instructions, occasional night wandering; and often do not correctly use assistive devices. Successful intervention must address the specific causes of falls and be multi-disciplinary. The responsibility for fall prevention lies with staff or the caregiver as the person with dementia cannot change. Major strategies to help prevent falls in this group include, managing hypertension, encourage physical activity, remove environmental hazards, avoid over-stimulation in family gatherings; and use nights lights and reflective tape in darker traffic areas.

A brief introduction from Tony Schaffer, Founder of the NVFPC was, “We have seen numerous lives turned upside down by a devastating fall. Fall prevention education is not a glamorous cause and often overlooked by the health care establishment. I know that many people are interested in this message; and, I know that people have implemented lifestyle changes based on the information presented to them by our coalition. The cost for education is minimal. The cost of a fall is huge in financial outlay and mental anguish.”

A first time event for the NVFPC was the donation presented to the Area Agency on Aging for $1,000 -- our acknowledgement of their support for us and a reciprocal gesture to the community. Also, the first community forum discussion was held on falls affecting our communities. There are now plans to meet in the spring with other community groups across the state.

About Dr. John Cook
Dr. Cook’s credentials include a B.S. from the US Naval Academy, a Masters in Electrical Engineering from the US Naval Postgraduate School, and his Doctorate Degree from Yale University. Dr. Cook’s residency was completed at the University of Virginia in 1980. He was the Director of ICU at Inova Loudoun Hospital from 1980-1997 and is currently a part of Loudoun Internal Medicine and the MDVIP group.

About Nancy Dezan
Nancy Dezan is a social worker with 30 years experience assisting families and individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease. She has served as Executive Director of three different dementia-specific day health programs, and created a nationally recognized social program for those in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. She speaks about a variety of topics related to Dementia and aging, both locally and across the United States. Currently, Nancy is Executive Director of the Alzheimer’s Family Day Center in Fairfax, Virginia.

About Judy Wiegert
Judy Wiegert is an Adult Case Manager with Brain Injury Services Inc. She completed her Master’s Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling at the George Washington University and has 10 years of experience working with families that are dealing with mental health, chronic illness, or disability at both the direct care and the policy level in the U.S. and in Africa.

Agenda     (Agenda in Printable format (PDF))

8:30 – 9:00	Vendor registration and setup
9:00 – 9:55	Doors open to public
10:00 – 10:15	Summit opening - Steve Gurney
10:15 – 10:35	Message from the Chairman - Tony Schaffer
10:35 – 10:55	Loudoun Fire and Rescue - Jason Goodman
10:55 – 11:25	Dr. John H. Cook III, Loudoun Medical Group
11:25 – 11:45	Special Guest Senator Mark Herring
11:45 – 12:30	Lunch
12:30 - 1:00	Nancy Dezan, Executive Director Alzheimer’s Adult Day Care
1:00 - 1:30	Fall risk assessment interactive session presented by Inova Physical Therapy, State of the Art Physical Therapy
1:30 - 2:00	Judy Weigert, Brain Injury Services of Virginia
2:00 – 2:15	closing remarks

Special Events

2:30 – 3:15	Open forum discussion on how we as a community can prevent falls in our community
3:15 – 4:30	Fall Prevention Seminar covering CDC’s “Preventing Falls” program.