Whitworth DPT

“HB 2263 is a bill that recognizes older adults, particularly those over 65 with fixed incomes and health issues, who are at risk due to housing instability. It aims to integrate additional support services within existing long-term care settings to provide both care assistance and permanent supportive housing. This is important because long-term care for older adults is becoming increasingly expensive and the housing and homelessness crisis has further exacerbated this issue. Learn how you can get involved!”

👏 How You Can Help! We need your voice! Contact Senator Marcus Riccelli to show your support for HB 2351. Together, we can make a difference! Click the link below to send an email and make your voice heard: 🔗 https://app.leg.wa.gov/memberemail/ Contact Senator Marcus Riccelli Let’s work together to ensure our community receives the care and support it deserves!

Doctor of Occupational Therapy student, Chelsea McClammer, Dr. Lizzie Choma (Whitworth DPT faculty), and Dr. Corey Morrow, (Medical University of South Carolina Occupational Therapy faculty), recently published a paper in the International Journal of Telerehabilitation. A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted using data from the nationwide registry of people with disabilities with a referral for an assistive mobility device evaluation - the Functional Mobility Assessment and Uniform Dataset (FMA/UDS). The results showed that there was a higher telerehabilitation use among patients with progressively acquired disabilities, and those with lower satisfaction with their current means of mobility, and in adults aged 65 and older. Patients with lower satisfaction with their mobility may have difficulty accessing outpatient seating/mobility clinics and see telerehabilitation as a viable option for their wheelchair evaluation needs. The timing of this publication is well timed as July is Disability Pride Month.

https://telerehab.pitt.edu/ojs/Telerehab/article/view/6630/7112

Spokane has so many great things to offer!

The class of 2025 recently participated in an experiential learning activity at the Adaptive Technology Center in the Steve Gleason Institute for Neuroscience. They interacted with some of the latest technology that is improving accessibility and quality of life in individuals with progressive neurological diseases so they are better prepared to serve these populations. Thank you to Theresa Whitlock-Wild, Will Clegern and Dominic Brenner for creating such an impactful experience.

Some of the technology included:
-A voice controlled bed
-Power wheelchair mobility using eye gaze
-Eye gaze home automation
-Control bionics with EMG for adapted and augmentative communication
-Adaptive gaming
-Power wheelchair VR
-A robotic feeding arm

We love when the weather allows class to be held outside!

Come out to Chipotle on Newport Hwy in North Spokane today from 4-8pm to support the Whitworth DPT class of 2026!

🌟 Spring Innovations in Rehab Technology! 🌟
This Spring, our second-year DPT students joined forces with the Whitworth Engineering department to develop an adaptive controller for a remote-control car 🚗🎮. By designing around a simulated patient with congenital upper limb deformities, they provided crucial design parameters that the engineering students took to build out prototypes.
Swipe ➡️ to see the prototype reveal with our DPT students and the exciting results of this collaboration!
Our goal? To build a lasting partnership that serves the pediatric community in Spokane with cutting-edge adaptive technology 🤝✨.
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This semester in "Movement across the lifespan" our students get to interact with special guests as they learn about pediatrics. We are so thankful for our volunteers.

First-year students were at the Senior Health & Wellness Fair () performing balance screens on attendees from the community this morning. While falls are not a normal and inevitable part of aging, certain health conditions and body changes can increase the risk of falls. Physical therapists possess the knowledge and expertise to help prevent and manage falls. Some examples include:

• addressing certain risk factors (poor balance, gait abnormalities, leg weakness)
• treating injuries after a fall
• prescribing fall-reducing exercises
• making home modification recommendations
• optimizing footwear
• making referrals to other providers as needed

Our students are becoming fall prevention experts and building skills for advocacy of older adults in their future communities.

Time is running out to submit an application for the Whitworth DPT class of 2027. Submit your application by June 3rd to be considered for the fall start. Find out more at www.whitworth.edu/dpt

Happy Mothers Day!

Whitworth DPT students celebrated Cinco De Mayo before finals, with second year students Silas slaying it at the grill.

We have loved serving at Union Gospel Mission Women and Children's Shelter over the last couple years as part of ICE (Integrated Clinical Experiences). Take a look at the latest UGM blog post to read more about how our students and faculty serve the community.

https://tinyurl.com/yc6e4wk2

As our DPT students are learning about children and their development, they need children to engage and play with! We have a few different opportunities at the end of May and during the month of June for children of all ages to participate. If you are interested please reach out to Dr. Sharon Yurs for a list of dates, description of what will be happening during class time and the ages of children needed for each class. You can reach her at [email protected] or 509-777-3530

First-year students have spent the last several weeks in Movement System II learning about and practicing safe patient mobilization. They've honed various skills from helping patients with simple tasks like rolling over in bed to more complex movements like navigating stairs with an assistive device and non-weight bearing precautions. These foundational mobilization techniques that require competence in safety awareness, communication, and patient education will help students in future clinical rotations in a variety of practice settings.

(Peep Dr. Helgeson checking in on safe patient handling in the background)

As a part of our Rehab Technology course this spring, our DPT II students recently had the opportunity to visit two local Prosthetic and Orthotic Clinics to get some behind the scenes experience in the process of fabricating prosthetics. Their first visit included a stop at to learn about lower extremity prosthetics. Following that visit they were able to learn about upper extremity prosthetics at . We love collaborating with local providers like Alex Gates and Glenn Wilson to provide meaningful learning experiences for our students that will make them better future clinicians!

First-year students and Dr. Choma made a trip over to North Point Village assisted-living community to provide fall-risk screens for residents alongside the therapy team at Powerback Rehab () at the inaugural Staying on Your Feet event. This was a great experience for students to practice communicating and working with some amazing older adults. Thanks to the residents and Director of Rehab Mike Craven, PT, DPT, for hosting us!

Happy Easter from Whitworth's DPT program!

First-year students evaluated each other's abilities in various exercise modes in their Exercise Science and Prescription course to meet their individual fitness goals (from increasing jump height to back squat 1-RM to running a half-marathon). They practiced employing motivational interviewing techniques, behavior change talk, and objective assessment methods to collect data that will be used to create comprehensive training plans for each other. We even saw some PRs in class today!

This week in Neurological Management II some amazing community members joined class to help our learners hone their examination skills in populations with Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson's Disease. In two weeks, the community members will return for a treatment session to address the goals identified this week. Great work class of 2025 and thank you to our community volunteers!

An exciting day for our students from the class of 2026 who were able to plan and implement activities with little supervision! While our patient stood supported in the Bioness Vector, they challenged his balance and postural stability using an activity with cones. They then worked on his confidence with gait while cuing for better step technique and posture.

March has started off a bit snowy this year. Gabe took a study break to make a snowman. Check out our stories to see how it ended...❄⛄

At APTA's Combined Sections Meeting Boston, MA, Drs. Paul Werhane and Dave Robbins were pleased to present their team's research in a poster entitles "Comparing Self-Reported Vs. Objectively-Measured Activity, Sleep, Stress, Anxiety, and Depression in Undergraduate and Graduate Students.”

They also presented their team's research in a platform presentation entitled “Differences in Activity, Health, Sleep, Stress, and Depression in Graduate and Undergraduate Health Science Students.”

Dr, Dawn Fitzgerald and Kaitlyn Gains, a guest lecturer for our DPT program who is newly certified in geriatric physical therapy and Katriel Sahlstrom Smit, a current second year DPT student were able to attend CSM in Boston as well!

🌟 Wednesday was an incredible day of collaboration and learning in our Interprofessional Education (IPE) class! 🌟
Our students from OTD, MSAT, and DPT programs came together to share invaluable skills from their respective disciplines. From mastering the Head Impulse, Nystagmus, Test of Skew (HINTS) assessment for patients with constant dizziness/vertigo, to exploring compensatory and adaptive strategies for different types of vision impairments, and diving into techniques for taping ankles, our classroom was buzzing with knowledge exchange!
This is what it's all about - breaking down silos, fostering teamwork, and ultimately, delivering better care for our patients. 💪 Keep shining bright, future healthcare professionals! ✨