April is Parkinson's Awareness Month, and Wilson Health would like to spread awareness about Parkinson's Disease. Whether that means navigating your own future with Parkinson's or helping us create a world without PD, together we can make an impact on the #FutureofPD. Here are three meaningful ways you can help change the future of Parkinson's Disease:
1. Future of PD Research
Research leads to breakthroughs in treatment that bring hope. Participating in research can help us provide improved care for all people with Parkinson's today. You can find more information on Parkinson's Disease research at www.parkinson.org/research.
Genetic testing can be a powerful tool to uncover biological pathways that cause Parkinson's. If you have a confirmed Parkinson's diagnosis, you are eligible to participate in PD GENEration: Mapping the Future of Parkinson's Disease. This research initiative offers genetic testing for clinically relevant Parkinson's-related genes and genetic counseling at no cost for people with PD.
2. Future of PD Care
Receiving specialized care makes a difference. Wilson Health offers the BIG & LOUD physical therapy program to help patients with Parkinson's Disease improve function and slow motor deterioration by retraining sensory, motor and cognitive functions through intensive exercise and patient empowerment.
The BIG therapy program is a standardized exercise approach developed from years of research and has shown documented improvements in balance, trunk rotation and faster walking with bigger steps. The program trains patients to make bigger movements and teaches the amount of effort required to produce normal movements in real world, everyday activities.
The LOUD program is offered by Wilson Health's speech-language pathologists. It is common that individuals with Parkinson's Disease have difficulty speaking loud, running out of air while talking, and avoid groups of people/conversations because of their voice. The LOUD program strives to increase patient's success with communication by improving the patient's voice and speech function through repetitive tasks with varying complexity that lead to carryover in all daily tasks upon completion.
To learn more about Wilson Health's BIG & LOUD physical therapy program, call the Physical Therapy Department at (937) 498-5332.
3. Navigate Your PD Future
Wilson Health is here to help you navigate your Parkinson's disease journey. We want to provide resources for you, so you can find the right care for you. For information on how Wilson Health can help you navigate your future with Parkinson's, visit our website at Physical Therapy | Wilson Health or call our Physical Therapy Department at (937) 498-5332.