My interest in falls and communication disability

A few years ago, the organisation I was working for revamped the falls prevention program across sub acute sites and sought input from all disciplines regarding what we thought the risk factors for falls were. People with communication disability I thought were at an obvious risk, however, not all agreed. I set out on a journey to see if communication disability after a stroke was a risk factor for a fall through an ethically approved retrospective cohort study.

Completing data collection on maternity leave, I took my data to one of my now supervisors, Katherine to see if I had a story to tell. Turns out I did...

After a stroke, people who cannot communicate their basic needs (e.g., the need for the toilet or that they are hungry) are nearly twice as likely to fall. These people also fall more often.





*Sullivan, R., & Harding, K. (2019). Do patients with severe poststroke communication difficulties have a higher incidence of falls during inpatient rehabilitation? A retrospective cohort study. Topics in Stroke Rehabilitation, 26(4). doi.org/10.1080/10749357.2019.1591689
So that's where the interest started. I presented at a conference and someone tweeted during the presentation, catching the eye of Professor Brownyn Hemsley who encouraged me to continue exploring this through a PhD. Now after 15 years clinical work, I'm studying full-time with a 4 year old and really enjoying it.


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About Rebecca Sullivan

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Hi Everyone, I thought I'd introduce myself. My name is Rebecca and I live in Melbourne with my husband, 4 year old train loving son and our rabbit Lion.  I grew up in Canberra, but my Mum's side of the family is from Cobar. We have traced our Aboriginal heritage to the Aboriginal mission near Brewarrina. We aren't really sure about anything prior to that.  I was very fortunate to be able to attend The University of Sydney to study Speech Pathology as an undergraduate. Even more fortunate to have the support of Yooroang Garang student support unit and the financial support from Puggy Hunter Memorial Scholarship .  Following graduation, I have worked for 15 years as a speech pathologist with adults with acquired swallowing and communication difficulties. I have loved every minute of it, even when it was hard! Now I'm a hopeful PhD candidate with an interest in falls and communication disability after stroke.  Outside of study (!!) I love ru...
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