Date: 11 March, 2025
Time: 10:00 am - 11:00 am (MST)

Join us for this virtual event on March 11, 2025 from 10:00-11:00 am (MST), along with guest speakers Candi Raudebaugh and Rachel Uniat.

Older adults who are concerned about falling may restrict their activities and make their lives smaller as they try to prevent falls. Cognitive behavioural techniques can help individuals and support persons to identify thinking distortions that lead to maladaptive responses and to make positive changes in thinking and behaviour. This workshop will describe ways to apply practical safety strategies, cognitive behavioural approaches, and relaxation techniques to help individuals with concerns about falling engage in meaningful activities with confidence. Strategies discussed can be helpful for those concerned about falling as well as support persons for individuals who have a fear of falling.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the impact fear of falling may have on an older adult’s life.
• Identify maladaptive thinking and behaviour changes that can occur due to concerns about falling.
• Identify practical safety strategies that can be applied throughout one’s journey in returning to daily activities.
• Identify equipment options to increase safety and confidence.
• Identify cognitive behavioural strategies to make positive changes in thinking and behaviour, and describe how to apply cognitive behavioural strategies for individuals who have concerns about falling.
• Discuss relaxation techniques targeted at reducing anxiety around concerns about falling.

Speaker Bios:

Candi Raudebaugh, OT, DSc (RHL), MSc (OT)

Candi Raudebaugh is an occupational therapist with experience in mental health, outpatients, pediatrics, acute care, community, and private practice. She has been an instructor in the Occupational and Physical Therapist Assistant (OPTA) Program at Red Deer Polytechnic since 2013. Candi has specialized training in a variety of areas such as cognitive psychotherapy for depression and anxiety, solution focused therapy, and motivational interviewing.

Candi is a graduate of the Doctor of Science in Rehabilitation and Health Leadership program at Queen’s University. Her doctoral research focused on life skills training for students in therapy assistant diploma programs. She developed and evaluated online life skills training modules on performance management, money management, and manual skills. The modules are available as an open educational resource entitled, Life Skills Training Modules, available at https://openeducationalberta.ca/life-skills/. Her research can be applied to contexts where college students would benefit from explicit support in developing life skills.

Candi is the author of the book, Peaceful relaxation scripts: group facilitation guide (2022), a guide for mental health practitioners and other professionals who use relaxation techniques.

Rachel Uniat, MSc (OT)
Rachel is an occupational therapist who has been teaching in the Occupational and Physical Therapist Assistant Program at Red Deer Polytechnic since 2017. She began her post secondary education at the University of Alberta where she obtained a Bachelor of Science with Specialization in Physiology and Developmental Biology in 2010. Following completion of a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Health after degree in 2012, Rachel continued on to pursue her Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from the University of Alberta. Her clinical work was focused in the area of neurology, specifically post stroke rehabilitation in acute care, inpatient and outpatient settings. She continues to work clinically and is passionate about furthering her education in teaching and learning.