Therapy Assessment & Interventions

Time: 1:02:13

This presentation will focus on an introduction to the Systems Theory of Balance and how, as a part of a comprehensive balance program to reduce the incidence of falls and injury, Therapy can evaluate the integrity of both the central and peripheral portions of sensory and motor systems, as well as develop a personalized treatment plan for each resident focused on appropriate interventions to rehabilitate, compensate, and/or adapt for identified deficits.

1. Identify at least one situation where a resident with deficits of Sensory Input may be at greatest risk for fall.
2. Identify at least one situation where a resident with deficits of Sensory Integration may be at greatest risk for fall.
3. Identify at least one situation where a resident with deficits of Motor Processing may be at greatest risk for fall.
4. Identify at least one situation where a resident with deficits of Motor Output may be at greatest risk for fall.

SPEAKER: Sarah K. Shearer-Smith, PT, DPT, GCS, CEEAA, RAC-CT, RAC-CTA

Sarah Shearer-Smith has spent all of her physical therapy career working with the geriatric population in various post-acute rehabilitation settings: skilled nursing, long-term care, memory care, and continuing care communities.

Before joining Consonus, she served in a multitude of roles for two national providers of skilled therapy, providing direct patient care, supervising both clinical and operational outcomes, and coordinating physical, occupational, and speech-language pathology services across multiple states.

Sarah now serves as the NW Director of Clinical Services for Oregon, Washington, and Nevada for Consonus Healthcare, where she is responsible for customer and therapist education surrounding federal/state regulations, assisting with the development of company compliance and clinical policies/procedures, coordinating clinical and documentation action plans, and training core clinical programs. In addition, she serves as both the Denial/Appeal Coordinator and, with the assistance of her Internship Coordinator, the SCCE coordinating PT, PTA, OT, OTA, and ST internships across all Consonus Healthcare sites.

She attended Loma Linda Medical University, where she earned her Master’s degree in Physical Therapy (1999) and her Post-Professional Clinical Doctorate of Physical Therapy (2006), and is certified as a Geriatric Clinical Specialist/GCS (since 2007), Certified Exercise Expert for the Aging Adult/CEEAA (since 2017), AANAC Resident Assessment Coordinator-Certified (RAC-CT) (since 2018), AANAC Resident Assessment Coordinator-Certified Advanced (RAC-CTA) (since 2019), and Dementia Care Specialist (since 2018). Sarah is also a certified trainer for the APTA’s Credentialed Clinical Instructor Program (CCIP).

She has served as a as a guest lecturer and trainer for various universities, state associations, long-term care associations, and continuing education events for diverse topics including: CMS guidelines, documentation best practices, management of Quality Indicators, caseload development/management, geriatric strengthening, falls prevention, balance system assessment/treatment strategies, and the assessment/treatment of patients with cognitive impairments and/or chronic conditions.