Restoring Balance and Confidence in Older Adults: Gait, Fall Prevention, and Motivation Strategies for Parkinson’s Disease and Related Neurological Conditions

Date: Tuesday, November 18th and Wednesday, November 19th, 2025
Intended audience: PT, PTA, OT, OTA, SLP
Check in time: 4:45PM-5:00PM CST
Course time: 5:00PM-8:00PM CST
Course level: Intermediate
Contact hours: 6.0
Location: Live Webinar

Course Fee: $175.00

Group Discounts: 
If two people from the same organization register for a course, each person will receive a 10% discount. Three or more registered will receive a 15% discount. Please email or call ahead of time with the names of the people who will be registering as a group, [email protected] or 612-672-5607.
**For Group discounts:  USE CODE rehab10 for 10% discount and rehab15 for 15% discount for group. 

Education Resources will be applying for CEUs and will disperse course certificates.
ERI is an approved provider for AOTA and ASHA and will submit for MN Board of PT CEUs

 

Cancellation Policy: Cancellation Fee will apply

Course Description:

Maintaining mobility and stability in daily life can be especially challenging for older adults living with Parkinson’s disease and other neurological conditions. This comprehensive, interactive course is designed to equip physical and occupational therapists with practical, evidence-based tools to confidently assess balance and fall risk, and to create individualized gait and balance training programs that meet the goals for person-centered care. Therapists will also learn how to apply motivational interviewing and behavior change models to improve patient engagement, adherence, and outcomes. The course culminates with a hands-on workshop where you’ll apply what you’ve learned to develop an actionable plan for a community-based fall and balance screening clinic in order to identify and prevent falls in the community.

Instructor:

Robyn Ligotti, PT, DPT, RAC-CT, CDP, QCP is the owner of Rehab Resource Solutions, LLC Consulting and is a licensed DPT with over 35 years of experience. The scope of her practice has encompassed many settings including: skilled nursing facilities, home health, outpatient rehab, wellness and prevention and inpatient rehab, but always with the older adult population. She has managed multi-disciplinary teams in skilled nursing facilities, home health and outpatient rehabilitation. Her Certifications include: Dementia Practitioner, Resident Assessment Coordinator and Quality Assurance Performance Improvement Certification. She is dedicated in her belief that the key to achieving strong outcomes is establishing a team of professionals who use critical thinking evidence-based skills in day-to-day practice. She has provided education to rehab and nursing teams and other disciplines throughout her career on safe patient handling, understanding Medicare and rehab specific treatments and approaches to care. Dr. Ligotti graduated with her B.S. in P.T. from Russell Sage College and received her Doctor of P.T. from Sage Graduate School.

Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this course, the therapist should be able to:

  • Choose validated balance and fall risk screening tools for people with Parkinson’s and other Neurological diseases
  • Design gait and balance training programs that integrate into clients' ADL and/or IADL routines
  • Apply motivational strategies to enhance participation in older adults with neurological deficits
  • Establish an outline for a community-based fall and balance screening clinic utilizing the tenets discussed in this course 

Outline/Schedule:

Day 1: November 18, 2025 (5-8pm CST)

5:00pm – 6:00pm Foundations of Fall & Balance Evaluations
• Fall statistics, prevalence
· Understanding fall risk in neurological disorders

· Evidence-based balance tools

6:00pm – 7:00pm Fall Risk Identification & Functional Screening
· Screening vs. Evaluating
· Evidence-based fall risk screening tools

· Gait speed: A "functional vital sign"

7:00pm – 8:00pm   Gait Assessment Using Traditional and Innovative Tools
·Principles of gait analysis in neurologically impaired adults
·Gait speed testing protocols

·Innovative tools & Emerging Technology

Day 2: November 19, 2025 (5-8pm CST)

5:00pm – 6:00pm Designing Effective Interventions
·Neuroplasticity and motor learning principles
·Dual-task training and dynamic balance integration
·Collaborative approaches to gait, balance & ADLs

·Assistive technology: visual/auditory cueing, robotic trainers, VR balance systems

6:00pm – 7:00pm Enhancing Patient Motivation and Participation Learning Methods
·Role of motivation in rehabilitation outcomes and meaning-based intervention strategies
·Introduction to: Motivational Interviewing, Transtheoretical Model (Stages of Change), SMART goal setting with older adults

·Building routines and habit formation for post-discharge success

7:00pm – 8:00p Interactive Case-Based Learning
·Case Scenario with clinical decision-making tasks
·Application of assessment and planning: Utilize fall screening tenets to outline a community-based fall and balance clinic
·Group discussion

 REGISTER FOR THIS COURSE