From Impairment to Intervention: Cardiopulmonary Aging

Course Overview

Physical therapists and occupational therapists seeking continuing education credit hours will gain practical, evidence-based strategies for evaluating and treating older adults with cardiopulmonary conditions. This intermediate video course explores normal cardiopulmonary aging, common cardiac and pulmonary disorders, vital signs assessment, functional outcome measures, exercise tolerance, fall risk, and safe rehabilitation intervention planning. Learners will strengthen clinical reasoning skills for distinguishing age-related changes from pathology, interpreting examination findings, monitoring patient response, and applying individualized treatment approaches that support mobility, functional performance, activity tolerance, and patient-centered care. Designed for PT and OT rehabilitation professionals, this continuing education course emphasizes safe, interprofessional management of older adults with conditions such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation, COPD, interstitial lung disease, and obstructive sleep apnea.

Learning Outcomes

Upon the completion of this course, the learner should be able to:

• Differentiate normal cardiopulmonary aging changes from pathological findings associated with common cardiac and pulmonary diseases.
• Analyze the pathophysiology and clinical manifestations of common cardiopulmonary comorbidities in older adults, including heart failure, coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation, peripheral arterial disease, COPD, ILD, and obstructive sleep apnea.
• Interpret examination findings, vital signs, medication effects, and functional outcome measures to guide clinical decision making.
• Select and apply appropriate standardized assessments to evaluate functional capacity, exercise tolerance, and fall risk in older adults with cardiopulmonary dysfunction.
• Develop safe, evidence-based exercise and rehabilitation interventions for older adults with cardiopulmonary comorbidities.
• Collaborate with interprofessional healthcare team members to optimize patient-centered care.

About the Author/Presenter

Dr. Suzanne Greenwalt PT, DPT, PhD, CCS, GCS has been a practicing physical therapist since 2002, working across acute care, outpatient, and skilled nursing settings. A board-certified Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Clinical Specialist—the first physical therapist in Tennessee to earn this distinction—Dr. Greenwalt is also a Geriatric Clinical Specialist. Her clinical interests include the management of cardiopulmonary conditions, geriatric rehabilitation, and inpatient care. Dr. Greenwalt joined the faculty at Belmont University in 2013, where she teaches Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Physical Therapy, Pharmacotherapeutics, and Clinical Education. She has also led interprofessional education initiatives and contributed to admissions, curriculum design, and program leadership. In 2024, she was appointed Chair of the School of Physical Therapy at Belmont University.

Audience/Accreditations and Approvals

Colibri Healthcare

This course is designed for the following healthcare professions (select your profession for details):

Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Respiratory Therapy

If you require special accommodations, please contact Colibri Healthcare Support by clicking here: Contact Us