Celebrating Physical Therapy Month, on the latest installment of The FOX Five, FOX Rehabilitation we welcome back Jackie Loeshelle, PT, DPT, GCS, who shares all of the reasons why she decided to work with older adults. From meaningful patient connections and life-changing progress to creativity in care and surprising wisdom from her patients, Jackie gives us a genuine look into the rewards of working with the older adult population. Plus, there’s some light-hearted banter about friendly competition between PTs, OTs, and SLPs you won’t want to miss. Whether you're a clinician, student, or just curious about geriatric care, this episode is packed with inspiration, honesty, and a few laughs.

Jim: Hello everybody. Welcome to The FOX Five, the show that explores FOX Rehabilitation through an original list created by a FOX colleague. That FOX colleague today is FOX Rehabilitation physical therapist, Jackie Loell. Jackie, welcome back to The FOX Five.

Jackie: Thank you, Jim. It's good to be back.

Jim: You had so much fun the first time you decided to do a second episode.

Jackie: Couldn't resist.

Jim: So, Jackie, what is your FOX Five this time around?

Jackie: So, my FOX Five is five reasons I decided to work with older adults.

Jim: I like this because, with FOX Rehabilitation, we see older adult patients 65 years and older. Jackie, what is Number One on your FOX Five?

Jackie: Number One is, I've always been interested in working with patients with neurological diagnoses, and people with these diagnoses tend to be older adults. So, I see a lot of people with things like MS, Parkinson's disease, and people who have had strokes, and it's pretty prevalent in this population.

Jim: I have a follow-up question for you, but I don't want to spoil the rest of your FOX Five. I'll hold off on all of my questions until the end.

Jackie: Okay, got it.

Jim: Jackie, what is Number Two on your FOX Five?

Jackie: Number Two is, the focus a lot of the time is working on functional skills, and because of that, it's pretty common to see big changes and improvements in people's quality of life, which is a satisfying thing to see with someone you're working with.

Jim: That's what I love about FOX—people are like, "Wow, you gave me a piece of my life back."

Jackie: Absolutely. Yeah, it's definitely real. I can think of multiple situations where I do feel that way. I feel lucky to have that opportunity.

Jim: Yeah. I'm not a therapist, but I could imagine if I was a PT and I was treating a teenager who broke an arm, they might not be as grateful.

Jackie: Totally different story.

Jim: No diss to the teenagers of America.

Jackie: Of course not. They teach me how to use their phone, and I teach a lot of people how to use their phone.

Jim: Jackie, that brings us to Number Three on your FOX Five.

Jackie: It takes a lot of creativity and imagination to figure out some treatments and compensations for people. I bring things like balloons, flashcards, balls—and I like the creativity that's involved with working with older adults.

Jim: I like that. Now, are there ever any fights between PTs and OTs as to who is the most creative?

Jackie: Um, no, because we both know the answer.

Jim: Oh no—your answer is?

Jackie: Physical therapists, obviously.

Jim: And then there's an SLP watching thinking, "What are you talking about? It's the SLP!" So, let's face it: good therapy equals good creativity, right?

Jackie: If you're not a creative therapist, you're not doing it right. And to be honest—plug for OT—I think OTs are very creative. There are a lot of different compensations they have. Different tools they use; all the beads. Probably OT, actually.

Jim: Okay. SLP—we know you're creative, too.

Jackie: More straightforward.

Jim: Maybe it's my fault. I create a friendly competition between the disciplines. Maybe in the new year, I should stop doing that.

Jackie: No, it's okay. Everyone loves a little friendly competition.

Jim: And are we up to Number Three or Four on your FOX Five?

Jackie: Number Four.

Jim: What's Number Four on your FOX Five?

Jackie: Number Four is that in this population, you get to collaborate with a lot of other healthcare professionals. We’re talking about SLPs, OTs, caregivers, case managers—and it makes for an easier episode of care when you have other people supporting you. And also other people that have opinions about what should be done. I like that collaborative environment.

Jim: So, see—we just dissed all the disciplines, and then we brought them all back together in Step Number Four.

Jackie: Exactly. That's the best way to do it.

Jim: And that brings us to Number Five on your FOX Five.

Jackie: I do teach my patients a lot of things, but they also teach me a lot—because they've lived so much life. I got married in August, and I feel like I got so much marriage advice talking to all my patients—solicited and unsolicited—but that’s okay.

Jim: When I started to work with FOX, that never came to mind, but there are so many clinicians I speak with, and they talk about all the wisdom they get from their patients. You kind of forget about that, but all the years that they’ve lived, all the wisdom they can drop—that's a valuable resource.

Jackie: Without a doubt. I feel like I learn a lot from them.

Jim: Once again, no diss to the teenagers, but if you're PTing up a teenager, maybe you don’t get that wisdom.

Jackie: Definitely. Well—maybe some, but definitely not like the pearls of wisdom that we get.

Jim: Yes. Jackie, thank you for another excellent FOX Five, and thank you for working with older adults.

Jackie: For sure.

Jim: Because that's what we do at FOX Rehabilitation. If we didn’t have clinicians that like to work with older adults, we would not be the practice that we are today.

Jackie: Exactly.