Bridges Center initiative
building new partnerships
CMU’s Bridges Center for Healthy Life Transitions received $58,000 in CMU 2010 funding for FY07 and $83,000 for FY08 – funds that were matched by the College of Health Professions – for a new Fall and Balance Center.
“It’s a pretty substantial amount to get us started with Fall and Balance Center preparations,” said Liana Bachand, Bridges Center director. “We’re already receiving patients, and we’ll be able to accept more referrals as we get connected to physicians in the area.”
The Bridges Center is a resource for creating partnerships in research, education, and service like the Fall and Balance Center. The center matches skills, expertise, and services offered by the college with community health care needs. It also provides crucial real-world experiences for students. As one of these partnerships, the Fall and Balance Center will focus on fall prevention, assessment, and rehabilitation for balance disorders in the elderly.
In order to carry out this initiative, the Bridges Center is working with CMU faculty members and the Carls Center for Clinical Care and Education, bringing together several different disciplines, including audiology, physical therapy, physician assistant, exercise, physiology, psychology, nutrition, and gerontology.
As a charter member of the Michigan Fall Prevention Partnership, CMU’s Fall and Balance Center is at the forefront of addressing a growing health care need. According to the National Institutes of Health and the Michigan Department of Community Health, falling accounts for 80 to 90 percent of hip fractures and is the leading cause of injury deaths in older adults.
“The Carls Center and audiology teams are already providing balance assessments for clients, but, with the funding from CMU 2010 and the College of Health Professions, in addition to external grants, we hope to have the Fall and Balance Center fully up and running by the end of this year,” Bachand said.
The Fall and Balance Center complements services offered by area health care providers, enhances health student’s education, and gives specialized service with state-of-the-art equipment. This includes the only NeuroCom Unit north of Ann Arbor. The unit tests balance with a computer evaluation. Students with a proficiency in operating this sophisticated equipment will be at an advantage for employment opportunities.
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Communication disorders faculty member Dawn Nelson uses computerized dynamic posturography to evaluate a patient’s balance functions.
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