Beyond the House: Providing Person-Centered Home Modifications to Reduce Fall Risks at Home

Kathleen Cameron, BSPharm, MPH, has more than 25 years of experience in the health care field as a pharmacist, researcher, and program director focusing on falls prevention, geriatric pharmacotherapy, mental health, long-term services and supports, and caregiving. Cameron is Senior Director of the NCOA Center for Healthy Aging, where she provides subject matter expertise on health care programmatic and policy related issues and oversees the Modernizing Senior Center Resource Center.

Donna Bethge is an Aging Services Program Specialist in the Office of Nutrition and Health Promotion Programs at the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Administration on Aging.  She serves as the lead for the Falls Prevention grant program and as the Program Officer for the Chicago Housing Authority’s grant. Before joining the team at ACL, Donna worked in the Aging Network in Maryland for 10 years with Area Agencies on Aging and an assisted living community, developing and implementing programs for older adults, as well as supporting and promoting evidence-based programs.  She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Management from Northern Kentucky University.

Dr. Taneka Blue is a national board-certified Occupational Therapy Practitioner and Certified Aging in Place Specialist, licensed in the Commonwealth of Virginia and Florida within the United States for 18 years of clinical practice. She provides evidence-based comprehensive services in various practice settings and partners with pediatric and aging clientele with diverse developmental, physical, cognitive, and performative deficits that impede wellness and quality of life. She is an experienced advocate partnering with caregivers, individuals, and organizations to establish solutions to practical life and environmental challenges. Dr. Blue currently serves as the Program Administrator and Government Technical Representative for the Older Adult Home Modification Grant within the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Emily Nabors is the Program Manager of the Fall Prevention Center of Excellence (FPCE) at the University of Southern California Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. Her work aims to educate service providers and professionals on fall prevention with a focus on home modification and aging in place. She instructs an online course about building local home modification coalitions and increasing community awareness, develops educational resources for professionals and consumers, and presents at professional conferences. At FPCE since 2008, Emily co-led the Los Angeles Falls Prevention Coalition and co-facilitates the National Home Safety and Home Modification Work Group with partners from NCOA. She has a Master of Science degree in Gerontology from the University of Southern California Leonard Davis School of Gerontology and an undergraduate degree from Vassar College. 

Catia “Cat” Garell, MA, OTR,SCEM, has two decades of direct occupational therapy experience combined withspecialized expertise in home modification service delivery. Her medical background provides a uniqueproblem-solving perspective while in the built environment. She has a longhistory working in skilled nursing facilities, hospitals, and home health. Catis the co-founder of Thrive for Life LLC, which is the only residentialaccessibility consulting firm in Hawaii. Cat alsoinstructs an online course for professionals as part of the Executive Certificatein Home Modification Program at the University of Southern California's LeonardDavis School of Gerontology called Home Modification: How to Get it Done.