We recently launched a Podcast/Online Radio Show!
We will create a new episode every other week, and we’ll interview doctors, people with Parkinson’s, caregivers, therapists and more!
For Caregivers: 8 Ways to help someone you love manage PD
When someone you care about has Parkinson’s disease, you see firsthand the effects the condition can have on someone. Symptoms like rigid movements, poor balance, and tremors become part of their day-to-day life, and these symptoms can worsen as the disease progresses.
Your loved one needs extra help and support to stay active and preserve their quality of life. You can help out in a number of ways — from offering a friendly ear when they need to talk, to driving them to medical appointments.
Here are eight of the best ways to help someone you love manage Parkinson’s disease.
1. Learn everything you can about the disease
Parkinson’s disease is a movement disorder. If you’re a caregiver for someone living with Parkinson’s, you’re likely familiar with some of the symptoms of the disease. But do you know what causes its symptoms, how the condition progresses, or what treatments can help manage it? Also, Parkinson’s doesn’t manifest the same way in everyone.
To be the best ally for your loved one, learn as much as you can about Parkinson’s disease. Do research on reputable websites like the Parkinson’s Foundation, or read books about the condition. Tag along for medical appointments and ask the doctor questions. If you’re well informed, you’ll have a better idea of what to expect and how to be the most help.
2. Volunteer to help out
Everyday responsibilities like shopping, cooking, and cleaning become much more difficult when you have a movement disorder. Sometimes people with Parkinson’s need help with these and other tasks, but they may be too proud or embarrassed to ask for it. Step in and offer to run errands, prepare meals, drive to medical appointments, pick up medications at the drug store, and help with any other day-to-day tasks they have difficulty with on their own.
3. Get active
Exercise is important for everyone, but it’s especially helpful for people with Parkinson’s disease. Research finds that exercise helps the brain use dopamine — a chemical involved in movement — more efficiently. Fitness improves strength, balance, memory, and quality of life in people with this condition. If your friend or loved one isn’t staying active, encourage them to get moving by taking a walk together every day. Or, sign up for a dance or yoga class together; both of these exercise programs are helpful for improving coordination.
4. Help them feel normal
A disease like Parkinson’s can interfere with the normalcy of someone’s life. Because people may focus so much on the disease and its symptoms, your loved one may start to lose their sense of self. When you talk to your loved one, don’t constantly remind them that they have a chronic disease. Talk about other things — like their favorite new movie or book.
5. Get out of the house
A chronic disease like Parkinson’s can be very isolating and lonely. If your friend or family member doesn’t get out much, take them out. Go to dinner or a movie. Be prepared to make some accommodations — like choosing a restaurant or theater that has a ramp or elevator. And be ready to adjust your plans if the person doesn’t feel well enough to go out.
6. Listen
It can be intensely upsetting and frustrating to live with a condition that is both degenerative and unpredictable. Anxiety and depression are common in people with Parkinson’s disease. Sometimes just offering a shoulder to cry on or a friendly ear can be a tremendous gift. Encourage your loved one to talk about their emotions, and let them know you’re listening.
7. Look for worsening symptoms
Parkinson’s symptoms progress over time. Be aware of any changes in your loved one’s walking ability, coordination, balance, fatigue, and speech. Also, watch for changes in their mood. Up to 50 percent of people with Parkinson’s experience depression at some point in the course of their disease. Without treatment, depression can lead to faster physical declines. Encourage your loved one to get help from a trained mental health professional if they are sad. Make sure they make the appointment — and keep it. Go with them if they need help getting to the doctor or therapist’s office.
8. Be patient
Parkinson’s can affect your loved one’s ability to walk quickly, and to speak clearly and loudly enough to be heard. A speech therapist can teach them exercises to improve the volume and strength of their voice, and a physical therapist can help with their movement skills.
When having a conversation or going somewhere with them, be patient. It may take them longer than usual to respond to you. Smile and listen. Match your pace to theirs. Don’t rush them. If walking becomes too difficult, encourage them to use a walker or wheelchair. If speaking is a challenge, use other forms of communication — like messaging through an online platform or email.
Radical PD treatment tested in patients
A radical Parkinson’s treatment that delivers a drug directly to the brain has been tested in people.
Patients in the trial were either given the drug, which is administered via a “port” in the side of the head, or a dummy treatment (placebo). Both groups showed improved symptoms, meaning it was not clear if the drug was responsible for the benefits. However, scans did find visual evidence of improvements to affected areas of the brain in those given the drug. The study’s authors say it hints at the possibility of “reawakening” brain cells damaged by the condition.
Other experts, though, say it is too early to know whether this finding might result in improvements in Parkinson’s symptoms. Researchers believe the port implant could also be used to administer chemotherapy to those with brain tumours or to test new drugs for Alzheimer’s and stroke patients.
Parkinson’s causes parts of the brain to become progressively damaged, resulting in a range of symptoms, such as involuntary shaking and stiff, inflexible muscles. About 145,000 people in the UK have been diagnosed with the degenerative condition, which cannot be slowed down or reversed.
For this new study, scientists gave patients an experimental treatment called glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), in the hope it could regenerate dying brain cells and even reverse the condition. Participants underwent robot-assisted surgery to have four tubes placed into their brains, which allowed GDNF to be infused directly to the affected areas with pinpoint accuracy, via a port in their head.
After an initial safety study of six people, 35 patients took part in a nine-month “blinded” trial, where half were randomly assigned to receive monthly infusions of GDNF and the other half dummy infusions.
Dr Alan Whone, principal investigator, said patients in the trial had, on average, been diagnosed eight years previously, but brain scans of those given the drug showed images that would be expected just two years after diagnosis.
He said: “We’ve shown with the Pet [positron emission tomography] scans that, having arrived, the drug then engages with its target, dopamine nerve endings, and appears to help damaged cells regenerate or have a biological response.”
Tom Phipps, 63, from Bristol, said he had noticed an improvement during the trial and had been able to reduce the drugs he takes for his condition. Since it ended, he has slowly increased his medication but is continuing to ride his bike, dig his allotment and chair his local branch of Parkinson’s UK.
“My outcome was as positive as I could have wished for,” he said. “I feel the trial brought me some time and has delayed the progress of my condition. The best part was absolutely being part of a group of people who’ve got a similar goal – not only the team of consultants and nurses but also the participants.
“You can’t have expectations – you can only have hope.”
Following the initial nine months on GDNF or placebo, all participants had the opportunity to receive GDNF for a further nine months.
By 18 months, when all participants had received GDNF, both groups showed moderate to large improvements in symptoms compared with their scores before they started the study. But the authors say the results need to be treated with caution because of the possibility of the placebo effect – when a patient feels better despite taking a medicine with no active ingredient.
Researchers hope that further trials could look at increasing the doses of GDNF or the duration of treatment.
Experts said it was “disappointing” that the difference in symptoms was not significant. But they said the study was still of “great interest” and warranted follow up research.
The findings from the trials are published in the medical journals Brain and the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease.
The study also features in a two-part BBC Two documentary series, The Parkinson’s Drug Trial: A Miracle Cure? on 28 February and 7 March, at 21:00. (Viewable only from the UK.)
Top Senior Scams to be on the Lookout For
Eras Senior Network of Waukesha County coordinates S.T.O.P. – an awareness program focusing on frauds and scams aimed at older adults.
In 2014, the Federal Trade Commission created the Pass it ON campaign aimed at encouraging people to share vital information about scams. The FTC encourages you to not only share gifts and food during the holidays, but also tips about scams targeting older adults.
Since 2016, Eras Senior Network has given 47 presentations to over 1,250 seniors and their caregivers about common scams targeting the senior population. Through our research and conversations with seniors who have experienced interactions with scam artists, we’ve collected a list of popular senior scams that we hope you’ll share with those you love.
Grandparent Scam: A scam artist calls a senior and says “Hi Grandma, it’s me!” Oftentimes the senior assumes they’re speaking to their grandchild and won’t even ask for a name. Sometimes, the scam artist pretends to be crying, which distorts their voice, making it easier for the senior to believe it could be their grandchild. The scammer will then tell the senior they are in some sort of trouble and will need money wired to them – and begs their “grandparent” not to tell their “parents”. To avoid this scam, ask the caller specific questions like their name, address, or something only your true grandchild would know – and never wire money or send gift cards through the internet!
Telemarketing “Yes” Scam: Telemarketing scam artists use a simple response to steal from you. In this scam, a senior will receive a call and be asked if they can hear the caller. The natural response is to say “yes”. Unfortunately, scam artists can record this response and use it to fraudulently authorize charges via the telephone, according to the Federal Communications Commission. The best way to avoid this is by screening your calls and only answering numbers you recognize, or finding another way to answer their question without saying the word “yes.”
Medicare Card Scams: As you may know, new Medicare cards without the individual’s social security number began being mailed in April 2018. With this comes the risk for Medicare related scams as predicted by the Better Business Bureau. Scam artists may ask you for your social security number or a payment in order to receive your card. Your new Medicare card will be sent to you automatically at no charge – you DO NOT need to do anything or pay anything for your new Medicare card to be mailed to you.
Spear Phishing: Spear phishing is an email or electronic communications scam targeted towards a specific individual, organization or business. Emails that look like they are from a friend or family member can actually be attempts to steal data. Before clicking on the message, hover your mouse (without clicking) above the sender’s email address to see if it is from the person you know. Phone calls may showing caller identification from a known person can also be spear phishing attempts. Once you realize the caller isn’t your friend or family member, hang up without saying anything!
Sharing what you know about frauds and scams may be the best gift you can give someone. If you feel like you have been a victim of a fraud or scam, contact your local police department by calling their non-emergency number.
Kathy Gale is Executive Director, Eras Senior Network, Inc. and a member of the Wisconsin Attorney General’s Task Force on Elder Abuse. S.T.O.P. Senior Frauds and Scams is brought to you by Eras through a grant from the Wisconsin Consumer Antifraud Fund at the Greater Milwaukee Foundation and the United Way of Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha County. More information about Eras Senior Network, Inc. can be found at www.ErasWaukesha.org.
12 of the best domestic tools for people with Parkinson’s
From attachable plate guards to ergonomically designed grabber tools, there are lots of products that make home living that little bit easier. We’ve put together a room-by-room roundup of some of the most useful items for people with Parkinson’s.
Kitchen
1. Plate guard
Plate guards can be subtly fitted onto ordinary plates to help those who can only eat with one hand or have an unsteady grip. The inward facing slopes helps with food collection and prevents spillages.
2. Tailor-made cutlery
Electronic stabilising handles are designed specifically to help people with hand tremors. The utensils are tailor-made to counteract the effect of tremors and have inbuilt sensors and motors to help combat tremors.
3. Kettle pouring stand
Making your morning ‘cuppa’ has never been easier with kettle tippers that helps users pour boiling water without lifting the kettle up – reducing the risk of spills. The frames handily wrap around your kettle, and are held in place with a secure Velcro strap.
Bathroom
4. Foam tubing
Sliding easily over popular household items such as hairbrushes and toothbrushes, foam tubing gives users a firmer grip – making everyday grooming easy and quick.
5. Electric razor
Parkinson’s symptoms like dyskinesia and tremors can make completing everyday tasks like shaving difficult or dangerous. An electric razor is one simple swap that can speed up a morning routine and avoid nips and cuts.
Living Room
6. Grabber tools
Ergonomically designed to mimic how a finger and thumb pick things up, hand grip grabber tools help users reach for things high or low, small or large around the house without stretching or bending.
7. Touch lamps
Touch table lamps help to avoid a struggle with tricky light switches. Simply touch the bases lightly to control the light output and reach the desired brightness, making it that bit easier when settling in for bed.
Bedroom
8. Reading rest
For those who find it hard to keep a book still, consider a reading rest for a more comfortable reading experience. Simply clip the book in and adjust the angle for when in bed or at a desk.
9. Button and zip hook
You can find many easy-to-use, low-cost hooks that help combat fiddly buttons and zips while dressing and undressing.
10. Elastic laces
Get out of the door quicker in the mornings by turning lace-up shoes into slip-ons. Elasticated laces eliminate the need to bend down and tie and untie shoes before leaving the house.
Study
11. RollerMouse
A wireless RollerMouse sits directly in front of the keyboard and the cursor can be moved by touching the rollerbars lightly. Users can switch control between hands when fatigue sets in – improving accuracy and increasing the amount of time spent online in comfort.
12. Keyguards
Keyguards are placed above the keys on a standard keyboard and stop people with hand tremors hitting unwanted keys whilst typing. While it slows down typing speed, it improves accuracy and comfort.
VA Changes Aid & Attendance Benefit
Starting Oct. 18, the VA will review not just current assets, but records from the previous three years when deciding a veteran’s asset-based eligibility for VA Pension benefits — commonly called Aid and Attendance (A&A) benefits. However, transfers of assets completed before Oct. 18 will not be counted against veterans or their surviving spouses.
A&A helps veterans and their surviving spouses pay for in-home care, assisted living-, memory- or nursing care as well as medical supplies and medicines. These pension benefits are available to service members (who are older than 65) or their surviving spouses. Additionally, the service member must have been honorably discharged after at least 90 days of service with at least one of those days during a wartime period.
A&A applicants must meet limited asset requirements, which will now be a little more complicated to calculate. On the bright side, the VA raised the net worth limit to $123,600, which is the maximum Medicaid Community Spouse Resource Allowance for 2018 and is indexed for inflation. Previously, the net worth limit was not firm, but was generally around $80,000 for a married veteran.
Net worth includes assets in bank accounts, stocks, bonds and commercial or secondary property holdings. But starting this month, it will also include one year’s Income for VA Purposes (IVAP), including disbursements from annuities or trusts. To calculate IVAP veterans and surviving spouses can deduct certain unreimbursed monthly care expenses, including skilled nursing, in-home care (even if provided by a non-spouse relative), assisted living costs, and long-term care and health insurance premiums.
Net worth does not generally include the veteran’s primary residence or vehicle. However, the new rules stipulate that the residence exemption only applies to homes on two acres or less, unless the additional acreage is unmarketable because of zoning or access restrictions, for example.
A family farm could be treated the same as a luxury estate. Also, if a veteran sold his home (because he was living in a nursing home) the sale could disqualify him from receiving A&A benefits. To avoid this outcome, an estate planning attorney can show you pre-planning tools that can protect your assets and your benefits.
If a veteran or surviving spouse applies for A&A benefits and gifted or transferred assets into certain trusts or annuities in the preceding three years, a penalty period will apply. The penalty period is calculated by dividing the value of the gift by the Maximum Monthly Pension Benefit, currently $2,169.
In light of the recent changes, veterans who may need nursing or home-health services should examine their finances at least three years before they are eligible for A&A. Nationwide, the median cost of long-term care currently ranges from $3,750 a month for assisted living to $8,121 monthly for a private room in a nursing home. These costs could easily wipe out your life savings.
As part of the new regulations, the VA is strictly enforcing its requirement that veterans only work with accredited attorneys or agents. A VA-accredited attorney can help veterans and surviving spouses navigate the VA pension process and evaluate how the pension may affect the rest of the veteran’s estate plan including Medicaid and Medicare benefits, income tax, inheritance tax and other financial factors.
The rising costs of long-term care are a burden our veterans should not have to bear alone. If you need help figuring out how to manage these costs, consult with a trusted, VA-approved elder law attorney about your options.
For Caregivers: Moving in with Family? Issues to Consider
Too often, the decision to move into a family member’s home is made when a crisis develops or as a last resort. Sudden illness or injury strikes and the family is left without a plan for long-term care for their loved one. Experts suggest that all families discuss the possibility of the need for long-term care, and the possibility of family members living together as a solution to the daily care situation. The following are some items to discuss with all members of the family before making such a move.
Accessibility
Is the home “elder friendly”? It is necessary to review the setup of the home, in terms of stairs, additional bedrooms, bathrooms and general safety issues. If home modifications are needed, they should be completed prior to the move.
Care
How much care will the relative require? Daytime supervision, medication management, meal preparation and entertainment are just a few examples of important issues to consider. Assess the level of assistance needed now and in the foreseeable future. If the relative is in poor health, who will be in charge of providing the care? Will other family members share in the caregiving duties? Establish basic rules and a care routine to help prevent conflicts and caregiver burnout.
Emotions
How do family members get along with each other? How are conflicts dealt with? All families have their share of problems and each family handles them differently. The loss of independence is difficult for anyone and reactions or behavior change is to be expected. It is important to be able to talk about how everyone is feeling and encourage the relative to continue with a life of their own. Communication skills, including active listening, are necessary in handling and resolving conflicts successfully.
Finances
How will the change in household expenses be handled? An increase in family size usually means an increase in family expenses. Will the relative contribute? Are there other family members who can help with financial support?
Responsibilities
What is expected of the relative? What responsibilities will they have for care of the home? If there is a separate apartment, will everyone dine together? What about family outings – will the relative always be included?
Avoid the feeling that the situation is permanent.
Start with a limited “trial period,” then review the situation. Once the move has been made to live together, it is very important for all family members to have continual open and honest communication with each other on all matters. Don’t hold in your feelings – both positive and negative feelings need to be shared.
If the health condition of the relative changes, and additional care is needed, it is crucial for the family to review the daily plan. If the situation requires help outside the family, there are a number of alternatives that the family and the relative can explore together. Make sure that the relative is included in decision making, if they are able. Some other options for care include: daily home health aide or homemaker care, which would also provide respite relief for family caregivers, home based community care programs, friends and neighbors, church outreach programs and dividing the care responsibilities among the family by rotating care, with the relative going to others’ homes, or by allowing other relatives to come into the home to provide the daily care.
Families who maintain open and honest communication and are willing to share in the financial and caregiver responsibilities for a needy relative can successfully reside together in the same home. Support can and should be a two-way street. Where better to get the daily support that we all need than from our family!
2018 was a big year!
The whole Symposium was excellent from beginning to end, including the meals and the informational booths. It was the best program I have attended.
Thank YOU for all the wonderful educational and supportive events and resources you provide for us caregivers. It means to much to know you’re there for us too.
I so appreciate WPA offering a Parkinson’s Dance Class in our area. We really enjoy the opportunity to participate and reconnect with people we knew from our support group!
Through our surveys, conversations, and emails, you have shared some great feedback with our staff about WPA’s growth and expansion over the last year. We have increased the number of programs we hold throughout the year, and added new locations around the state where we offer these programs. The number of attendees who attend these programs has nearly doubled in just a year!
Additionally, WPA’s Annual Symposium in June had over 500 people register to attend! So many of you wanted to come, we moved to a new venue. And we’re looking for another – even bigger – venue for 2019! THANK YOU to our awesome sponsors and vendors who support that program, and who allowed it to be FREE for every attendee this year.
WPA’s office moved! Our new space in Brookfield is a warm, inviting space that allows for small meetings on site. We are close to I-94, which allows us to keep moving across the state to support YOU!
In order to realign WPA’s Mission Statement with our goals and program offerings, our Board of Directors revamped the statement: Providing hope, community, support, and resources for people with Parkinson’s and their loved ones. This new mission statement truly shows what WPA is able to provide for YOU. We are a broad and diverse organization, providing you with what you need as you navigate life with Parkinson’s – whether it’s your own Parkinson’s, or that of a loved one.
We hired Laurie Couillard, as director of group engagement. Laurie’s entire job is to work with our nearly 150 support groups and exercise groups around the state, connecting them with the resources they need. WPA is also helping new groups and exercise classes start up – watch for more classes and groups coming to your area!
THANK YOU for all the support and feedback you have provided to us over the last year. We are here to serve you, and we look forward to seeing you at a program or group meeting soon!
Gary Garland | Executive Director | [email protected]
Laurie Couillard | Group Engagement | [email protected]
Carolyn Hahn, Marketing Communications, [email protected]
Raven Hamilton | Administrative Services | [email protected]
Jeremy Otte | Outreach & Education | [email protected]
For Caregivers: Nourishing Holidays
Ah, “‘Tis the season….” But for many of us, it is another day of the same old thing, or, maybe worse, it is a time when there are even more expectations and responsibilities placed upon us than we usually face. May be they come from inside, or maybe they are expectations from others, none-the-less, the holiday season can be more burdensome than joyful for many of us.
Hopefully, you can make some time for yourself for inner reflection—Some time to consider things or people that you are grateful for and some things that you would like to do a little differently in your future. It may even be a little more important now that we are entering a new Millennium!
So, I invite you to consider your relationship with food! Some of you may scratch your head “Relationship” with food? I have relationships with people or pets, not food!” This may be true for the many of us who truly view food as a means of sustenance – You may know folks who truly don’t care what they eat and may even forget to eat, unless someone reminds them or prepares it for them. There are those of us, however, for whom foods, especially certain foods, seem to have a voice in our heads. It may sound like “I’m here waiting for you to eat me – please don’t leave me in this half empty bag (or container) in the dark all night” or “Oh, it’s the holidays and we both know I’m not good for you. Still, this once, just a little bit won’t hurt….”
As a nutritionist, I often speak to people about the nutrients and nutrition in the food they eat. I am growing in my understanding that there is a lot more to food than just the chemicals that make up the protein, fat, vitamins and minerals. In a book called Nourishing Wisdom, the author, Marc David, very nicely shows how the psychological and spiritual aspects of our lives affect how and if we are truly nurtured. In his book, Mr. David suggests that we need to experience food as a neutral thing – no “good” or “bad” food – and instead, listen to our bodies to know what to eat. The foods we humans eat are greatly influenced by our culture and psychology, rather than by instinct. Our bodies want, and need, different foods at different times. We prefer salads and light foods in the summer and soups and heavier foods during the colder, darker winter months. There may be times when we are happy or sad that we want a certain food, because it is familiar to us or associated with similar circumstances in our past.
At holiday times, we look forward to special foods. Why? For many of us, they remind of us happy times, special times and, perhaps, times when someone else was responsible for the cooking! These special foods have the capacity to nourish us in more ways than just giving us calories and vitamins and minerals. For each of us, we long to belong, to know we are important to someone or that we have made a difference in someone’s life. If, somehow, we are not sure of these things, we may turn to eating certain foods to feel comforted or to preparing foods for others to be sure we are needed and appreciated.
As we grow older, many of us are faced with chronic diseases like high blood pressure, heart disease or diabetes. We may find it harder to maintain our youthful figures… And still, each year the Holidays come around, luring us with their many treats, treats that often are not very healthy for us in the long run.
Instead of feeling compelled to eat one more cookie or sliver of pie, and then feel guilty about it, please consider this instead. Take a few seconds to ask yourself, “Am I really hungry for this? …How will I feel later, if I eat this now?” Or “Do I need it right this minute? Could I wait till later when I’m not so full?” It will just take a few seconds and it may save you from feeling bad for a lot longer later! And, as any thing new you try, you will forget sometimes. Do not worry about that! Celebrate the times you remember – Celebrate the times you remember to take care of yourself!
As you are shopping at the bakery or getting out your family’s favorite recipes full of butter and sugar, ask yourself, “How can I make this recipe a little healthier—and still taste good? What’s important here? Is it that we have the same foods that taste the same, or is it that we celebrate life and its many pleasures and treasures and challenges this past year has brought?” If that’s what the holidays are about, then it may not matter what foods are on the table, healthy or not. But it may matter, in the long run, if you feel good about yourself, because you know that taking care of your health and the health of your loved ones is a year round commitment.
How Music Transforms a Man with PD
Before Parkinson’s disease changed his life, Larry Jennings loved to sing, dance and play his guitar. A decade after his diagnosis, the 73-year-old Oklahoma man is once again able to dance with his wife, thanks to the therapeutic power of music.
Jennings’ remarkable improvement was captured on video that has gone viral since his physical therapist Anicea Gunlock shared it on Facebook. The video at first shows Jennings struggling to walk around his home in Hartshorne, Okla., even with the help of a walker.
But when Gunlock started playing music on her cellphone, Jennings’ stride immediately improved. Within a couple of minutes, Jennings was able to let go of his walker and even lead Gunlock in a dance.
“I’d never seen anything like it,” Gunlock told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview Thursday.
Gunlock explained how, after her very first session with Jennings yielded no real improvements in his gait, she went home and started researching therapies for Parkinson’s disease, a neurodegenerative disorder that can severely limit a patient’s movements.
She came across a study that used music to help patients improve their gait and decided to try it out with Jennings. Gunlock said she spent a considerable amount of time finding the right song – nothing too fast or too slow. She eventually settled on “Good Ole Boys Like Me,” a 1979 country song by Don Williams.
“When I went back a couple of days later to do it with Larry, it was just astounding,” Gunlock said. “Literally, it was instantaneous results.”
At one point in the video, Jennings is also seen singing along to “Good Ole Boys.” Since Jan. 5, the video has garnered more than nine million views.
“I’m really happy that it has been seen by so many people,” Jennings’ wife Kathy said, describing how everyone was “in tears” when her husband danced across the floor for the first time.
Now, “he can dance with whoever is around,” Kathy told CTVNews.ca. “We danced all over.”
She said caregivers often get discouraged as Parkinson’s disease continues to rob their loved ones of movement and speech. But she’s always been hopeful that her husband’s condition would improve.
“With his illness, you have to not give up,” she said. “We’re hoping that he’ll get even better.”
The power of music and dance
Music and dance have long been used to help Parkinson’s patients improve their movements and motor skills. A number of Canadian researchers have been involved in the global effort to better understand the therapeutic benefits of music for people like Jennings.
“Right now, nobody has any idea what is going on in the brain to make this happen,” said Jessica Grahn, a professor at Western University in London, Ont., who has been researching the way music and rhythm are processed in the brains of people with movement disorders like Parkinson’s.
She said there seems to be “great variability” in how Parkinson’s disease patients respond to music. Some, like Jennings, show an instant response, while others show little to no improvement.
“One of the things we’re really interested in is…what is it that makes music effective for any given patient?” Grahn told CTVNews.ca.
One of the working theories, she said, is that music enables the brain of a Parkinson’s patient to “bypass the faulty circuitry” caused by the disease. Many patients struggle with internally-generated movements — trying to get up and walk across the room, for example– only to realize that their brain is not receiving the signal. But reflexive movements, such as catching a ball thrown in their direction or dancing to music, seem to remain intact, Grahn said.
For Alice-Betty Rustin, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease six years ago, music and dance programs have been more than just physical therapy.
“It’s also a great social (activity),” the 79-year-old Toronto-area resident said. She has seen many other people with Parkinson’s benefit greatly from dance programs, including one offered at Canada’s National Ballet School.
Gunlock, the physical therapist in Oklahoma, said she decided to share her video online in hopes it would help other Parkinson’s patients and the therapists who work with them.
“The response has been amazing,” she said.
Recent Comments