SUMMARY
Connie L. Bogard, P.T., Ph.D., studies falls and the impact of physical therapy services for older adults who have had injurious falls. This includes the impact on caregivers and their readiness to assist in fall prevention and recovery from a fall.
Dr. Bogard is specifically interested in pursuing the implementation of evidence-based fall prevention research to bridge the gap from a medical paradigm to a community-based model. She also has research interests in patients with Parkinson's disease and gait or balance dysfunctions.
Focus areas
- Fall prevention. Dr. Bogard describes the phenomenological experience of older adults after injurious falls and the care they received from physical therapists. This includes investigating the informal caregiver's perspective.
- Physical therapy (PT) utilization. Through retrospective chart review, Dr. Bogard explores the utilization of inpatient PT services by older adults who have sustained accidental fall-related injuries requiring hospital admission.
- PT student preparation in the area of fall prevention. Dr. Bogard studies aspects of academic and clinical preparation of PT students through surveying academic faculty programs in the United States.
Significance to patient care
Dr. Bogard hopes that through her research in fall prevention, as well as her mentorship of graduate PT students, she can inform PT practice and academia on fall prevention strategies, interventions and human caring behaviors that enhance the physical and mental well-being outcomes for older adults.