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March 31, 2021

Third-year physical therapy students Spencer Edwards and Kelly Rhodes received high marks for their video submissions during this year’s American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) Geriatrics Consumer Video contest.

Edwards placed third in this year’s contest, and Rhodes placed fourth.

Both students were able to participate in the event through the Division of Physical Therapy’s “Physical Therapy for the Geriatric Population” course, an elective option offered to third-year physical therapy students interested in enhancing their foundational skills and knowledge by examining concepts related to the older adult in physical therapy practice.  

Dr. Paula DeLorm, Assistant Director of Clinical Education and Assistant Clinical Professor within the , teaches the class and integrated the consumer video contest as part of the course curriculum as a way to 1) encourage students to research a topic relevant to physical therapy care of the older adult, 2) create an educational tool about that topic that can be utilized in a clinical setting, and 3) to encourage support of APTA Geriatrics.

“This year, both Kelly and Spencer completed videos that focused on topics of current interest in the care of aging adults,” DeLorm said. “Their work demonstrated excellence in selecting a relevant topic and utilizing creativity in making their videos.”

Each student’s award-winning videos, along with additional insight into each video’s creative process, is below.

Tell us a little bit about the focus of your video:

I have personally seen the devastating effect that falls can have when combined with older age and osteopenia. Daily, simple balance exercises can greatly reduce the risk of falls, and thus reduce the risk of hip fractures and associated morbidity.

What do you hope individuals will learn by viewing your video?

I'm passionate about helping older adults to improve their quality of life and confidence, and the exercises shown in the video are a great springboard to balance self-improvement.

What does it mean to you to be recognized by APTA Geriatrics?

It is an honor to have my video recognized by APTA Geriatrics!

How/why each of you selected your video topics

When choosing my topic for my video, I thought about my own grandparents and what I would like them to know. I also wanted to choose something many older adults could relate to and could benefit from. So, this led me to create a video on osteoarthritis. My grandpa has a short clip in my video because I think it's important to hear firsthand the benefits of exercise and how it can improve quality of life.   

What do you hope individuals will learn by viewing your video?

One of the major takeaways I hope viewers get from my video is that it does not take a high volume of high-intensity exercise to improve your health. Starting small with short bouts of physical activity throughout the day can have a positive impact on your joint health and overall wellbeing.

What does it mean to you to be recognized by APTA Geriatrics?

As someone who is compassionate for the geriatric population and wishes to work with older adults after graduation, it means a lot to me to be recognized by APTA Geriatrics. I didn’t win first prize, but simply being recognized for the thought and effort I put into the video is still meaningful to me.