PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

Ellen Winchell Miller

Publications and source records attributed to Ellen Winchell Miller.

2 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Geriatric referral patterns for physical therapy: a descriptive analysis.

PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to: (1) describe older adults being seen for physical therapy, (2) identify the most prevalent physician orders and physical therapy interventions, and (3) compare these results across US regions. METHODS: A written questionnaire was mailed to a random sample of 1600 therapists. Therapists completed information for up to 10 patients including classification of diagnosis according to the Guide to Physical Therapist Practice. ANALYSIS: Descriptive analyses were performed. RESULTS: 118 therapists provided information on 839 patients. More of the patients were women (65%) than men (35%); their average age was 76.4 years. Most patients were seen in the outpatient setting (56%) and over 70% were classified into one of the musculoskeletal diagnostic categories. "Evaluate and treat" was present in 66.2% of the physician orders. The 6 most frequently performed interventions were in the therapeutic exercise category. CONCLUSION: Many physical therapists, even those who may not consider themselves geriatric physical therapists, are seeing older adults in a variety of settings. Knowledge about the diverse needs of older adults, therefore, is important for clinicians and students to meet the rising demand for quality physical therapy for this population.

Aged↗
PubMed2002

Body weight support treadmill and overground ambulation training for two patients with chronic disability secondary to stroke.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Body weight support (BWS) treadmill training has recently been shown to be effective for gait training following stroke, but few researchers have measured the usefulness of this intervention in enhancing function, and there are no reports in which BWS overground ambulation was studied. The purposes of this case report were (1) to report the feasibility and patient tolerance for using a BWS system for overground ambulation, (2) to measure the function of patients with chronic stroke (2 years post-stroke) prior to and following BWS treadmill and overground ambulation training, and (3) to describe a protocol used for patient treatment progression using BWS treadmill training. CASE DESCRIPTIONS: The participants were 2 women, aged 87 and 93 years, who had strokes more than 2 years before data collection. A 10-m timed walk test, the Berg Balance Scale, the gait portion of the Tinetti Gait and Balance Assessment, and a measure of step length were administered. Intervention consisted of BWS ambulation training 3 times a week for 6 to 7 weeks. Each day there was BWS treadmill and overground training. OUTCOMES: Participant A improved most in 10-m walking time and Berg Balance Scale score. Participant B exhibited improvements in step length and 10-m walking time. DISCUSSION: The outcomes suggest that very old patients with chronic functional deficits secondary to cerebrovascular accident tolerated BWS treadmill and overground ambulation training and made improvements following this intervention.

Aged↗