This spring, the UDPT department is launching the Neurologic and Older Adult Physical Therapy Clinic (NOA).  The clinic is modeled after the UDPT Clinic, and will serve as the new home of the Neurologic and Older Adult Integrated Clinical Experience.The DPT curriculum now includes 3 integrated clinical experiences: one orthopedic, one pediatric and the neurologic and older adult.  Renovations on the third floor of McKinly Lab have carved out a space for the new Clinic.  In addition to offering PT services, the clinic will be sponsoring exercise classes designed for persons with particular diagnoses (e.g. osteoporosis, stroke) that will be offered free or at low cost to the community.   The classes will be designed and implemented by students participating in the Neurologic and Older Adult Integrated Clinical Experience, under the supervision of PT Faculty.  The first class will be for stroke survivors and will be piloted at the end of this Spring semester. 

The NOA Clinic also will sponsor a Journal Club on the 4th Wednesday of each month.  Alumni and clinicians are encouraged to attend.  The Journal Club schedule, topics and articles can be accessed electronically at: http://www.udel.edu/PT/clinic/journalclub.html.

For more information on the NOA clinic, please read below or contact Dr. Darcy Reisman.
 

What is NOA?

NOA stands for the Neurologic and Older Adult Physical Therapy Clinic at the University of Delaware.  At NOA, our mission is to provide the highest quality physical therapy services for  older adults and persons with neurologic conditions while providing outstanding clinical exposure for University of Delaware Physical Therapy students.  It is our goal that clinical research and community programs offered through NOA will enhance and improve the rehabilitation of older adults and persons  with neurologic conditions throughout the community.
 

Patient Care & Clinical Education

Providing the highest quality of care for the older adult patient or those with a neurologic condition is the primary mission of the Neurologic and Older Adult Physical Therapy Clinic at the University of Delaware (NOA). At NOA we recognize the importance of individual care and are committed to providing excellent care through low patient-therapist ratios and the involvement of department research faculty in consultative service to our patients.  All supervising Physical Therapists at NOA are experienced in the rehabilitation of older adults and/or those with a neurologic injury or disease.  Because NOA serves as a clinical teaching site for graduate students in Physical Therapy at the University of Delaware, patients benefit from the educational resources available and from the emphasis on evidence-based practice.
 

Research

Research is an integral part of the University of Delaware Physical Therapy and Biomechanics and Movement Sciences PhD programs.  Physical Therapy Faculty have substantial support from national funding organizations including the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense and the National Science Foundation.  Clinical research focused on developing and improving the care of patients who receive physical therapy intervention is an integral part of the mission of all UDPT clinics.  Patients who are treated in the NOA clinic may choose to participate in research that involves persons with neurological impairments and those with conditions associated with aging. 
 

Community Service

The  Neurologic and Older Adult Physical Therapy Clinic at the University of Delaware (NOA) sponsors specialty clinics for patients who demonstrate problems that are unique or particularly challenging to the rehabilitation community. The University of Delaware PT clinical and consulting staff, faculty and local PT clinicians attend the neurologic-geriatric specialty clinic to combine their efforts to recommend an appropriate treatment plan for patients. The purpose of the specialty clinics are first to provide appropriate treatment options and recommendations to the patients. Specialty clinics also serve as a forum for the exchange of ideas between those in the physical therapy community.

A Journal Club is sponsored by NOA for medical practioners interested in the rehabilitation of older adults and those with neurologic conditions.  The purpose of the Journal Club is to critically review the current literature on topics of particular interest to those treating these patient populations and to encourage integration of this information into patient care.