Balance, Mobility and Fitness – Program Agenda
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Program Agenda
8:00 – 8:45am Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:45 – 8:50am Welcoming Remarks
8:50 – 9:50am Exercise and Brain Health
Dale Corbett, PhD
Professor of Neurosciences, Scientific Director and CEO, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario Centre for Stroke Recovery, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa
Enhancing neuroplasticity processes in response to post-stroke rehabilitation is of fundamental importance in promoting recovery of function. Exercise has many beneficial actions including the ability to enhance the same plasticity processes that are the targets of rehabilitation therapy following stroke. In spite of this, exercise has not been widely incorporated into current rehabilitation practice. This lecture will review new data from animal and clinical studies that demonstrate how physical and "mental" exercise can improve both motor and cognitive function. Potential mechanisms that underlie the beneficial effects of exercise will also be discussed since such knowledge may be used to develop new and/or more effective rehabilitation approaches.
9:50 – 10:20am What Is Good for the Body Is Good for the Mind
Laura Middleton, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Heart and Stroke Foundation, Centre for Stroke Recovery,
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Exercise has long been understood to improve physical health. Growing evidence now suggests that aerobic exercise also reduces cognitive loss. This presentation will review the link between aerobic exercise and cognition and will discuss the potential application of exercise therapy to specific patient groups such as mild cognitive impairment, dementia, or stroke.
10:20 – 11:00am Networking Break, Exhibit and Poster Viewing
11:00 – 11:30am Measurement and Rehabilitation of Gait: Is Velocity Enough?
Kara K. Patterson, PhD, PT
Assistant Professor, School of Physical Therapy, University of Western Ontario
Improvement of gait function is the number one goal stated by patients undergoing stroke rehabilitation. Accordingly, therapists devote a significant proportion (25-45%) of therapy time to gait. Velocity is one of the most common gait parameters that are measured, reported and targeted for intervention; but is it enough? This talk will discuss alternative, complementary parameters to gait velocity and will focus specifically on gait symmetry.
11:30am – 12:00pm Learning Not to Fall: Rehabilitation Strategies for Reactive Balance Control
Avril Mansfield, PhD
Post-doctoral Fellow, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute; Post-doctoral Fellow, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario Centre for Stroke Recovery, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
When you lose your balance you need to make very fast corrective reactions to stop yourself from falling. Older adults or those with neurological illness or injury have difficulty making these reactions which could lead to an increased risk of falls. However, traditional physical rehabilitation strategies may not always specifically target these rapid responses. This presentation will highlight emerging research on perturbation-based balance training for improving reactive balance control.
12:00 – 1:00pm Lunch, Exhibit and Poster Viewing
Workshops - Session 1
All four workshops run concurrently and are repeated; the first session commencing at 1:00pm and the second session commencing at 2:30pm.
1:00 - 2:00pm
Workshop 1: Fitness Training in Neurological Populations: Utilizing a Submaximal Fitness Assessment to Develop a Fitness Training Program
Jo-Anne Howe, BScPT
Clinical Educator, Physiotherapy, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute; Lecturer, Department of Physical Therapy, University of Toronto
Lou Biasin, BScPT
Physiotherapist, Neuro Rehab Program Stroke Service, Balance, Mobility & Falls Clinic, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute; Lecturer, Department of Physical Therapy, University of Toronto
Vanessa Ellis, BScPT
Physiotherapist, Neuro Rehab Program Acquired Brain Injury Service, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute; Instructor, Department of Physical Therapy, University of Toronto
This workshop will share our experiences in fitness assessment and training in neurological patient populations at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute. Upon completion of the workshop, participants will be familiar with the benefits of fitness training and its effect on patient outcomes. Using case examples, participants will have the opportunity to review the use of a submaximal aerobic testing protocol, develop an exercise prescription and discuss the feasibility issues of including a fitness program for groups or individuals in their facility.
Workshop 2: Pushing It to the Limit: Measuring Dynamic Balance Responses to Perturbations
Liz Inness, BScPT, MSc
Leader, Balance, Mobility & Falls Clinic, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute; Lecturer, Department of Physical Therapy, University of Toronto
Janice Komar, BScPT
Physiotherapist, Neuro Rehabilitation Program Stroke Service,Toronto Rehabilitation Institute
Julia Fraser, BSc
Research Assistant, Balance, Mobility and Falls Clinic, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute; Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center
A key factor that ultimately determines whether an individual will fall is their ability to recover from a loss of balance. Recent research highlights the importance of measuring and training reactive balance control, specifically rapid stepping responses that are critical to recovery from perturbations to balance.
This workshop will share our experiences in the Balance, Mobility & Falls Clinic of Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, specifically, how our assessment that uses both behavioural and technological measures is helping us to understand the underlying control issues after stroke. Participants will have the opportunity to discuss the implications to care and the feasibility of incorporating these measures into their facility and patient populations.
Workshop 3: Tools and Technology for Monitoring Mobility Throughout the Patient’s Day
Karen Brunton, BScPT
Clinical Educator and Physiotherapist, Balance, Mobility and Falls Clinic, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute; Lecturer, Department of Physical Therapy, University of Toronto
Avril Mansfield, PhD
Post-doctoral Fellow, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute; Post-doctoral Fellow, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario Centre for Stroke Recovery, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Jackie Lymburner, BHScPT
Physiotherapist, NeuroRehab Program Stroke Service, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute
Would you like to know how active your patient is outside of formal therapies? Evidence suggests that our patients’ walking activity is greatly reduced throughout the day, even for those who have the ability to ambulate independently. Wireless technology such as accelerometers and HR monitors can provide information about how much walking activity our patients are engaged in and the intensity of that activity. Participants will gain an understanding of how wireless technology can be applied to guide therapeutic programming (e.g. walking programs and goal-setting) and will attain an awareness of future applications, currently being researched, which would not only assess quantity of activity but also quality of limb movements during therapeutic exercise and quality of gait in ‘everyday’ environments.
Workshop 4: Clinical Research Presentations
Four short 15 minute presentations on current research in the area of balance, fitness and mobility that have relevance to emerging clinical practice will be presented.
2:00 – 2:30pm Networking Break, Exhibit and Poster Viewing
2:30 - 3:30pm
Workshops - Session 2
Workshops one to four will be repeated. See description above.
3:30 – 3:35pm Time to Return to the Ballroom
3:35 – 4:00pm CEAL/iDAPT Will Provide Amazing Tools To Accelerate Research in Rehabilitation
Geoff Fernie, PhD, PEng
VP Research, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute; Professor, University of Toronto
Participants will experience a visual tour describing the capabilities of the new CEDAL/iDAPT laboratories open for research in March 2011. Ways of becoming involved in using this environment for research will be discussed.
4:00 – 4:15pm Closing Remarks and Awards Recipients