The countdown is on for National Physical Therapy Month — a time to celebrate the physical therapy profession, spotlight the many benefits of physical therapy, and show how physical therapists and physical therapist assistants improve the health of society.
This year, National Physical Therapy Month, supported by HPSO, focuses on the profession’s role in preventing falls. This theme touches nearly everyone. Whether it’s the patient population you treat or an aging loved one, falls affect more than 1 out of 4 older adults, and the result of a fall can be devastating.
APTA, in collaboration with APTA academies and sections, is highlighting the work PTs and PTAs do for falls prevention — in all ages and abilities. We developed social media graphics related to patient populations, available next week in our PR and Marketing Center, in the National Physical Therapy Month toolkit. You’ll also find downloadable handouts, postcards, and signs.
Looking for a way to get involved in your community? New this year on our NPTM landing page is a guide to hosting a falls screening and assessment for PTs, PTAs, other health care professionals, and volunteers in your place of work or community. The NPTM page also includes advocacy resources on falls prevention. Be sure to read up on the work we’re doing to help keep older adults safer, including releasing “The Economic Value of Physical Therapy in the United States” report, which shows the cost-effectiveness of physical therapy for falls prevention.
NPTM is also a good time to update or create your Find a PT profile. APTA's consumer-facing website, ChoosePT.com, receives millions of visits — and many of those visitors are using the APTA Find a PT Directory to search for a physical therapist by location, practice focus, or specialization. Take advantage of this free member benefit for physical therapists. View the instructions and update (or create) your Find a PT Profile today.
Stay tuned for more of what’s to come in October, and don’t forget to let us know how you’ll be celebrating. Use the hashtags #ChoosePT and #PTmonth on your posts, and follow APTA's social media channels to keep up with more ways to get involved this year. ChoosePT is on Facebook and X; APTA is on Facebook, X, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Questions? Contact APTA's Public Relations staff.