Help for people with Parkinson's disease to stay mobile and live with confidence is being offered in a free program offered by Queensland University of Technology's School of Human Movement Studies.
Queensland University of Technology human movement researcher Associate Professor Graham Kerr said the new program was being offered at Kelvin Grove campus to anyone in the community who had Parkinson's disease and their carers.
"Our new program aims to promote healthy living, to prevent falls and decrease injury among Parkinson's sufferers so that they stay independent for longer and improve their quality of life," Associate Professor Kerr said.
"The holistic program begins with an assessment of lifestyle, health status, balance, mobility and strength and from that we work out a program designed for the person's needs and mobility."
Professor Kerr said 70 per cent of people with Parkinson's disease had a fall once a year and about 13 per cent fell more than once per week.
"The program is designed to give Parkinson's sufferers more confidence to stay mobile and active," he said.
"Given that a person with Parkinson's has a two to six times greater chance of falling once and a nine times greater chance of recurrent falls than the rest of us, one of the program's key aspects is to work on balance and walking.
"The aim is to increase functional ability through exercise to strengthen weakened muscles and to improve movement coordination so that they can do everyday movements like getting out of bed or the car without fear of falling."
Associate Professor Kerr said the program would consist of an initial assessment, recommendations for changing the home environment to increase safety and an individual exercise program for at home or a gym.
"If needed we will also refer patients to other QUT clinics for podiatry, optometry or nutrition," Associate Professor Kerr said.
This program has been developed in partnership with Parkinson's Queensland, neurologists at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital and is funded by the Department of Health and Ageing.
To participate in the program, contact the Parkinson's clinic on (07) 3138 5823
Media contact: Niki Widdowson, QUT media officer, 07 3138 1841 or n.widdowson@qut.edu.au.
**High res photo of Professor Kerr available.
