- HOW DO I FEEL WHEN I FALL? TOTALLY HELPLESS.
BALANCE ISSUES FOR MYSELF ARE A MAJOR CONTENTION.
THEY'RE SOMETHING THAT I HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION TO
ALL THE TIME.
HAVING TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT BALANCE IS REALLY SOMETHING I
NEVER THOUGHT I'D EVER HAVE TO DO.
IT FEELS LIKE I'VE BEEN ROBBED.
- FALLS ARE VERY COMMON IN PEOPLE WITH
PARKINSON'S DISEASE.
PROBABLY AT LEAST HALF OF PEOPLE WITH PARKINSON'S
DISEASE, AT ANY ONE TIME, IF YOU ASK THEM, "HAVE YOU
HAD A FALL?"
THEY'LL SAY YES.
- FALLS ARE ONE OF THE HIGHEST PREDICTORS OF FUTURE FALLS,
AND WHEN PATIENTS FALL, IF THEY FALL OFTEN, IT AFFECTS
THEIR CONFIDENCE.
THERE'S A FEAR OF FALLING, A FEAR OF INJURY.
THAT INHIBITS THEIR MOVEMENT MORE AND ACTUALLY PLACES THEM
AT GREATER RISK FOR FUTURE FALLS.
- THE CENTERS OF THE BRAIN THAT BOTH SENSE WHEN YOU'RE
GOING TO FALL DON'T WORK QUITE AS WELL, SO YOU PROBABLY DON'T
KNOW YOU'RE FALLING AS SOON AS YOU WOULD OTHERWISE, AND ALSO,
THE ABILITY TO GET THE MUSCLES TO INITIATE A MOVEMENT TO STOP
YOURSELF FROM FALLING ARE AFFECTED AS WELL.
MOST PEOPLE BENEFIT FROM SEEING PHYSICAL THERAPY.
THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF RESEARCH ON EXERCISE
AND THE USE OF EXERCISE IN PREVENTING FALLS AND ALSO
IN SLOWING DOWN THE DISEASE IN GENERAL.
SO I SEND MY PATIENTS TO PHYSICAL THERAPY BEFORE WE'VE
EVEN THOUGHT THEY MIGHT HAVE A FALL.
- OH, EXERCISING AND STRETCHING HAVE
BEEN A GODSEND FOR ME.
I'M ABLE TO UTILIZE EXERCISES AND STRETCHES TO HELP
STABILIZE MY BODY SO THAT BALANCE IS NOT SUCH A PROBLEM.
- NUMEROUS STUDIES OVER THE YEARS HAVE SHOWN THAT EXERCISE
IS HIGHLY EFFECTIVE IN KEEPING PATIENTS SAFE AND STRONG
AND ABILITY TO INTERACT WITH THEIR ENVIRONMENT.
- STRETCHING AND EXERCISES ARE EVERYDAY ROUTINE
FOR ME ANYMORE.
I GO TO A PHYSICAL THERAPIST ONCE A WEEK DEALING
WITH BALANCE AND COORDINATION ISSUES.
- I USE A VARIETY OF EXERCISES WITH MY PATIENTS.
WE TRY TO KEEP THINGS FUNCTIONAL.
ON YOUR FEET.
ASPARAGUS!
- ASPARAGUS.
- BACK DOWN.
PATIENTS NEED THE ABILITY TO BE ABLE TO STAND FROM A CHAIR.
THEY NEED TO HAVE THAT STRENGTH.
AND AFTER CHANGING POSITIONS, OFTENTIMES THAT CAN THROW
A PATIENT'S BALANCE OFF.
SO WE WORK ON SIT TO STAND.
STEPPING AND WALKING DRILLS-- OFTENTIMES, I'LL HAVE PATIENTS
WALK AND STEP OVER OBSTACLES ALONG THE WAY.
STEPPING FRONTWARDS AND BACKWARDS AND SIDEWAYS ARE ALL
VERY FUNCTIONAL EXERCISES THAT THEY CAN DO.
WE ALSO TEND TO DO A LITTLE BIT OF WORK ON STRENGTHENING.
- PEOPLE WITH PARKINSON'S ARE REALLY ABLE TO MAKE TREMENDOUS
STRIDES IF THEY'RE WILLING AND ABLE AND MOTIVATED TO STICK
WITH AN EXERCISE PROGRAM.
- STARTING AN EXERCISE PROGRAM BEFORE A PATIENT EVER FALLS,
STARTING AN EXERCISE PROGRAM BEFORE A PATIENT BECOMES TOO
DISABLED, IS VITAL.
IT'S EASIER TO KEEP ABILITIES THAT YOU HAVE THAN TO GET THEM
BACK AFTER THEY'RE LOST.
- AND AS I'VE BEEN DOING EXERCISES AND STRETCHES THAT
I'M INVOLVED IN, I FEEL BETTER.
I FEEL MORE LIKE I'M IN CONTROL OF MY BODY.
- THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF HOME CARE IN THE INITIAL STAGES IS
TO BE PROACTIVE ABOUT FALLS.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE ARE SAFE IN THEIR
OWN HOMES.
- INTERACTING WITH PROFESSIONALS SUCH AS
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS AND PHYSICAL THERAPISTS,
ESPECIALLY AN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST, WAS VERY
HELPFUL FOR ME.
- MEETING HENRY AND HIS WIFE, RIGHT OFF THE BAT, YOU COULD
SEE THAT THEY WERE GOING TO BE OPEN TO A LOT OF IDEAS
AND SUGGESTIONS.
AS SOON AS I WALKED IN THE DOOR, THEY WERE--THEY HAD
THE EXPRESSION ON THEIR FACES THAT, "OKAY, WE WANT TO LEARN."
AND HENRY WAS ABLE TO IMMEDIATELY START POINTING OUT
AREAS WHERE HE HAD DIFFICULTY.
HE SEEMED TO KNOW WHAT OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY WAS
ALL ABOUT.
- HOW MANY STEPS THERE ARE GOING INTO THE HOUSE, HOW TO
ACCOMMODATE THOSE STEPS WITHOUT FEELING LIKE I'M
GOING TO FALL.
WHAT DOES MY BATHROOM LOOK LIKE?
- THERE ARE SOME OPTIONS FOR YOU.
ONE OF THEM IS MAYBE PUTTING IN A BENCH THAT'S AS WIDE
AS YOUR TUB.
- ARE THERE ANY THROW CARPETS DOWN IN THE HOUSE THAT MAYBE
COULD BE REMOVED TO ELIMINATE A TRIP HAZARD?
- THINGS LIKE RUGS THAT HAVE A LITTLE BIT TOO ABRUPT EDGE,
BATHTUB THAT'S A LITTLE TOO DEEP FOR HIM TO GET IN AND OUT OF,
A TOILET THAT'S A LITTLE TOO LOW FOR HIM TO GET IN AND OFF
OF COMFORTABLY AND SAFELY--ALL OF THOSE THINGS WERE THINGS THAT
HE WAS ALREADY AWARE OF OR HAD IN THE BACK OF HIS MIND.
AND I THINK WHAT I DID MORE THAN ANYTHING WAS JUST KIND
OF LIKE PUT THEM UP IN THE FRONT OF HIS MIND.
- SIMPLE THINGS LIKE PUSH THE CHAIR INTO THE TABLE
SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO WALK AROUND IT.
THOSE ARE NOT THINGS I EVER HAD TO WORRY ABOUT BEFORE.
BUT FOR A PROFESSIONAL TO BRING THEM TO MY ATTENTION,
AND THEN I GO HOME AND I LOOK AT WHAT'S GOING ON, YEAH,
THAT DISCUSSION IS VERY HELPFUL IN MY LIFE.
- WHEN YOU COME INTO THE HOME AND YOU SAY, "OH, YOU'VE HAD
"A LOT OF FALLS, BUT THESE ARE SOME SOLUTIONS THAT WE CAN
"PRESENT FOR YOU, AND WE CAN MAYBE STOP ALL THAT CYCLE
OF FALLING AND KEEP YOU AT HOME," AND THAT'S HOPEFUL
FOR PEOPLE.
THEY JUST WANT TO STAY AT HOME, AND WE CAN ACTUALLY HELP
THEM WITH THAT JUST BY CHANGING A FEW THINGS
IN THE HOME, MAKING SOME ENVIRONMENTAL MODIFICATIONS,
AND MAYBE ADDING SOME EQUIPMENT.
I HAD A PATIENT ONE TIME THAT TOLD ME THAT SHE THOUGHT THAT
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
AND PHYSICAL THERAPY WAS THAT HER PHYSICAL THERAPIST TAUGHT
HER HOW TO MOVE AND HOW TO BE STRONG AND HER OCCUPATIONAL
THERAPIST TAUGHT HER HOW TO LIVE.
- MANY STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT THE TEAM APPROACH IS
MORE EFFECTIVE.
MANY HANDS MAKE LIGHT WORK, AND MANY BRAINS COME UP
WITH GOOD IDEAS.
AND I THINK THE VA DOES AN EXCEPTIONAL JOB OF HAVING
A TEAM STRUCTURE.
- THE FACT THAT HENRY IS ABLE TO DO THINGS LIKE GO DOWN TO
A SQUAT AND THEN COME BACK UP, CLEARLY HE'S BEEN
WORKING ON THAT.
CLEARLY HE'S BEEN EXERCISING.
ALL THOSE THINGS THAT HE DOES FOR HIMSELF ARE GONNA REALLY
IMPACT HIS WHOLE LIFE, AND IN SUCH A POSITIVE WAY.
- HENRY HAS SHOWN AN EXCEPTIONAL ABILITY TO BE
AGGRESSIVE TO COMBAT THE DISEASE AND GO AFTER IT AND
JUST STAY ON HIS ROUTINE AND TO TAKE HIS MEDICATIONS AND TO DO
HIS EXERCISE AND TO ASK FOR HELP WHEN HE NEEDS IT.
HE HAS BEEN A STAR PUPIL.
- KEY ISSUE HERE FOR PHYSICIANS, PHYSICAL
THERAPISTS, OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS IS LOOKING AT THEIR
PATIENTS THAT HAVE THE PARKINSON'S AND DOING
EVERYTHING YOU CAN TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO WORK
ON THEIR BALANCE, BECAUSE THAT'S THE MAINSTAY.
IF YOU CAN STAND STRAIGHT, IF YOU CAN HOLD YOURSELF,
IT GIVES YOU PART OF YOUR LIFE BACK.