What is Parkinson’s Disease?

Parkinson’s disease (PD), or simply Parkinson’s is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly and, as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms become more common. The most obvious early symptoms are tremor, rigidity, slowness of movement, and difficulty with walking but cognitive and behavioral problems may also occur. Parkinson’s disease dementia becomes common in the advanced stages of the disease. Depression and anxiety are also common, occurring in more than a third of people with PD. Other symptoms include sensory, sleep, and emotional problems.

While there is currently no medical cure for PD and medication becomes less effective as the disease progresses, diet and rehab therapy have been known to improve the symptoms and quality of life to the person with PD (PwPD).

Home Therapy for Parkinson’s

Working on rehabilitation with the PwPD at their home is the most ideal approach as our gold standards therapy team can focus on helping them and their caregivers cope with activities of daily living (ADL) in their immediate habitat, instead of needing to re-adapt rehab activities learnt in the clinical setting back at home. We can also assess their immediate environment to give conscised recommendations and interventions tailored to the individual.

Parkinson’s Management with a MDT

A multidisciplinary allied health rehab team (MDT) typically includes professionals such as occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech therapists, psychologists, and social workers, who work collaboratively to address the complex needs of PwPD. The team members provide different forms of therapy that complement each other to optimize the patient’s rehabilitation outcome. For example, the occupational therapist may work with the PwPD to develop strategies to manage their daily activities more effectively, while the physiotherapist may focus on improving the patient’s balance and mobility. The speech therapist may work on the PwPD’s communication skills, and the psychologist may provide support for mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. By working together, the team can develop a more comprehensive treatment plan that addresses the physical, cognitive, emotional, and social aspects of Parkinson’s disease. The team members can also coordinate their efforts to ensure that the patient receives the most appropriate and effective treatment.

Specialised Therapy Techniques for Parkinson’s

The Parkinson’s specialists in the team also use the LSVT (Lee Silverman Voice Treatment) program to rehabilitate PwPD using various vocal and exercise techniques to improve walking, balance, trunk rotation and recondition the mind and body to work effectively with the condition.

Lifeweavers also work with neuroplasticity clinics to co-design therapy plans for PwPD looking for additional or deeper forms of rehab. Neuroplasticity exercises working in tandem with occupational, physio and massage therapy can yield much higher chances of improving symptoms.

When symptoms starts improving with better control, we will also explore more creative forms of therapy in the realms of social prescription to improve the mental health and access to a richer social life for the PwPD.

It is always important for the PwPD to aim further than what they think they can achieve, quite literally, as the positive momentum will help greatly in motivating for a better stride towards improvements and higher quality of life!