{"id":13431,"date":"2017-12-14T10:17:58","date_gmt":"2017-12-14T17:17:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=13431"},"modified":"2024-08-05T13:16:11","modified_gmt":"2024-08-05T19:16:11","slug":"getting-back-to-life-with-parkinsons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/getting-back-to-life-with-parkinsons\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting back to life with Parkinson\u2019s"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cHave I shown you how I can walk backward?\u201d asked the small-framed woman, who then took about 10 steps backward \u2014 enough to prove her point.<\/p>\n

Her face began to glow as she continued, \u201cI couldn\u2019t do that before.\u201d<\/p>\n

Parkinson\u2019s disease<\/a> had inhibited Barbara Smith from doing many things — standing with a snack in one hand and a drink in the other while talking to someone \u2014 a multi-tasking combination most wouldn\u2019t think twice about.<\/p>\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t do it, so I had to sit, many times alone, and wait for people to come to me,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The combination of walking while turning her head also made her stumble so much that even grocery shopping became burdensome and somewhat dangerous.<\/p>\n

Life with Parkinson’s<\/h2>\n

Parkinson\u2019s affects no two people the same, nor will any two people have precisely the same symptoms. But common symptoms of this progressive disorder of the nervous system include tremors, muscular rigidity and slow, imprecise movements.<\/p>\n

Smith first realized something was wrong when she literally couldn\u2019t get out of bed one morning. But her symptoms came and went, and she struggled for years \u2014 her doctor first thinking it was stress \u2014 before being diagnosed<\/a> in 2000.<\/p>\n

Then almost a decade later, while checking out a health club on vacation in Tucson, Arizona, Smith walked by an exercise class that made her stop in wonder.<\/p>\n

It was a Parkinson Wellness Recovery<\/a>, or PWR!, class.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought, \u2018Wow, these people look normal,\u2019\u201d she recalled.<\/p>\n

The PWR! program was created by Dr. Becky G. Farley<\/a>, who used research on exercise and brain change to develop a model that provides real-world health changes for those with Parkinson\u2019s disease. Smith\u2019s discovery, and how things fell into place from there, was nothing less than \u201cserendipity,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Smith was able to attend Farley\u2019s class twice while in Tucson. She recognized one of the participants in the class as a person who had been featured on a television newscast. The individual progressed from a wheelchair to riding her bike in the Tour de Tucson. Smith learned that Farley was planning to train therapists throughout the country on her new model. Denver was going to be her first stop.<\/p>\n

So passionate about her sudden discovery, Smith returned to Fort Collins and called every listing in the phone book associated with occupational therapy, physical therapy or fitness instruction to tell them about the upcoming training. She also called her friend Berny Henriksen, a fitness instructor, who caught the enthusiasm and invited her fitness instructor friend, Hillary Beck-Gifford. Both attended the training.<\/p>\n

The power of exercise<\/h2>\n
\"Barbara
Barbara Smith was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2000 and it wasn’t until she found PWR! class that she’s been able to enjoy life with the movement disorder.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cExercise is very important because Parkinson\u2019s is a movement disorder, and for some reason, exercise helps balance that system,\u201d Beck-Gifford said.<\/p>\n

Research shows that exercise<\/a> can change the brain and have a positive impact on Parkinson\u2019s symptoms, according to the Parkinson\u2019s Foundation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are underlying issues that go along with Parkinson\u2019s, and even if you can\u2019t stop that tremor, if you can improve overall physiological function, you still improve life,\u201d said\u00a0Dr. Margaret Schenkman, PhD, PT, director of physical therapy at UCHealth\u2019s Anschutz Medical Campus.\u00a0\u201cIn other words, it may be really important to improve flexibility, retain lower and upper body strength, and preserve cardiovascular function for people to function as well as possible within the constraints of the disease.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bob Waldchen, a northern Colorado physical therapist already trained by Farley, was the only other person to respond to Smith\u2019s calls. Farley recommended he work intensively with Smith to improve her balance. But it wasn\u2019t long before a local class was born, thanks to the synergism of Smith\u2019s determination, Waldchen\u2019s perspective, and networking by Henrikson and Beck-Gifford. Soon after, Aspen Club, a UCHealth program that provides health-related activities, services and educational opportunities to northern Colorado\u2019s older adults, jumped on board.<\/p>\n

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UCHealth is here to help<\/h4>\n

PWR! Moves \u2014 level II.<\/strong> The Parkinson\u2019s Wellness Recovery (PWR!) class helps people with Parkinson\u2019s Disease move better and longer through exercise.<\/p>\n

New sessions began January 2018. Call 970.578.1298 for more information or to register.<\/p>\n