September 6, 2024
Shawnee State University’s Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) program has been recognized with a 2024 Aging Achievement Award from USAging for its partnership with the Area Agency on Aging District 7 (AAA7). The partnership, “Fall-Free Fridays” was among only 22 local aging programs that received honors during USAging’s 49th Annual Conference & Tradeshow. The award is one of the highest honors presented to USAging members.
“The Fall Free Friday partnership between the MOT program at SSU and AAA7 provides the students an opportunity to gain valuable insights into the unique needs of older adults and to meet the needs of older adults in our community,” SSU Academic Fieldwork Coordinator and Assistant Professor of MOT, Sandi Allen, OTD, CHT said. “The virtual program has expanded recently to on-site visits at community centers set up by the Area Agency on Aging which has been well received by the community member, AAA7, and MOT students. We look forward to continuing this partnership and serving our community together for many years to come.”
The partnership “Fall-Free Fridays”, which dates back to Fall of 2020, was a collaboration between the degree program and AAA7 to provide virtual education to the community about fall prevention topics. The organizations followed up in Spring 2021 with “Functional Fridays” which focused on driver safety, stroke awareness, and managing function in everyday life. Both programs were designed to share information on fall prevention in a safe and convenient format.
The AAA7 provides services to help older adults and those with disabilities live safely and independently in their residence of choose through services paid by Medicare, Medicaid, other federal and state resources, and private pay. To learn more about their programming and services, call 1-900-582-7277 or visit aaa7.org.
This year’s Fall Free Fridays will kick off on Friday, Sept. 27 at 10:00 a.m. The program will be livestreamed on the AAA7 Facebook page as part of National Falls Prevention Awareness Week.
To learn more about the Master of Occupational Therapy program at Shawnee State University, visit shawnee.edu/mot.