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Restoring Balance and Confidence in Older Adults: Gait, Fall Prevention, and Motivation Strategies for Parkinson’s Disease and Related Neurological Conditions
PT
Course Level:
Intermediate
Course Type:
Live Webinar
November 18–19, 2025
Check-In Time: 11/18/2025 4:45:00 PM
Course Time(s): Course time: 5:00PM-8:00PM CST
Course Location:
Contact Hours: 6.0
Course Completion:
Course intended to be completed in full.
Instructor: Robyn Ligotti, PT, DPT, RAC-CT, CDP, QCP
Instructor Bio:
Robyn 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.
Financial Disclosure:
Receives an honorarium from ERI and is owner of Rehab Resource Solutions, LLC consulting.
Non‑financial Disclosure:
None
Upon completion of this course, the participant should be able to:
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
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
Contact Information
M Health Fairview Rehab Services Continuing Education Department
Email: rehabce@fairview.org
Phone: 612-672-5607