PANC Parkinson's Train-the-Trainer Workshop in Lodi

Last weekend, PANC (Parkinson's Association of Northern California) held a train-the-trainer workshop in Lodi, CA for health and fitness professionals who work with people living with Parkinson's Disease.  The room was filled with personal trainers, yogis, massage and physical therapists who work with those living with the neurodegenerative disease.

"It takes a village to raise a child but it takes an army to treat Parkinson's", quoted Dr. Suketu Khandhar, the lead Neurologist in charge of Kaiser's Movement Disorder Program.  He designed this workshop so the hospital-based PTs can offer their patients a more "person-centered", continuous spectrum of services while establishing reliable resources in the community to refer their patients.

Dr. Sarah P....,  the neuro-physical therapist from Kaiser lead an amazing workshop.  Unbeknownst to me, this was the exact same workshop as last year and that was fine with me because I learned several 'golden nuggets' to improve my services.   The stop, sniff, shift technique of dealing with freezing epsisodes were clarified and I learned a LIFE-SAVING technique to prevent backward falls.

As a Z-Health brain exercise therapist who activates the cranial nerves, cortices, cerebellum, vestibular and vision systems not to mention motor control, I am always learning how to better treat my clients with Parkinson's.   There is so much information available on the internet so it's good to get hands-on experience and talk with leaders in the field of neurodegenerative movement disorders.

Great experience and I will continue to attend for breaking neuroscience training techniques to help people improve balance while living with a progressive neurodegenerative disease.

Parkinson's Group in Lincoln Touched Their Toes Today!

I was the guest speaker at the Parkinson's Support Group in Lincoln today.  I love public speaking and am honored whenever I am invited to give presentations for various support groups.  Now that I have been studying the brain and how to activate the brain for better balance, movement, vision and less pain, I have so much to share that I have to customize each presentation with the audience in mind.

I had prepared a Parkinson's-specific presentation for the Carmichael Parkinson's Support group earlier this year however that was one of my worst presentations ever.  I did not read the audience's needs and should have stopped talking 30 minutes earlier!  I feel I did better this time however the amount of information I have to share can be 'overwhelming' which is why I encourage private training sessions (repetition is king).

I've attended several Parkinsons Association of Northern California's (PANC) one-day trainings and with my brain-based training, I feel confident presenting to people living with Parkinsons Disease.

Today's audience was blown away with the vision drills.  As always, I had everyone do an assessment.  In this case, reach down to touch their toes (while seated.  Needless to say, over half the room needed longer arms to touch their toes during the initial assessment.

Then I showed everyone how to do pencil push-ups.  After the group did about 5 pencil push-ups, I had them reach down and touch their toes again.  All I heard was, "what in the world just happened", "how did she do that", "oh my gosh".... this is because almost everyone could reach their toes this time!

I laughed and said, "it's not magic, it's neuroscience"!  I kept talking about the power of vision and that it is the #1 input to the brain and if you train the four components of vision, your vision will get better.  Then I had them do another vision drill that targeted eye movement.

After doing a drill, I had them reach down and try to touch their toes again and once again, exclamations, laughter and smiles as the entire front row touched their toes.  These are people who haven't touched their toes in over 20 years and today, after two vision drills, they were able to touch their toes.

We did some exercises that activated basal ganglia and the frontal lobe and I had everyone stand up.  No stuttering, no hesitation, people stood up easier and without thought.  Big smiles.

If you are living with Parkinson's Disease and you know there's more than Rock Steady boxing, contact me!  I will come to your home for private sessions to discover what your brain needs for healthy movement.  I can't cure the disease but I can make living with it more tolerable.   I will give you tips and holistic options to make your life better.

info@thefallpreventionlady.com

ParkinsonWISE Training by PANC & Kasier Neurologists

Thanks to PANC (Parkinson's Association of Northern California), I had the amazing opportunity to learn from the best of the best; Kaiser Permanente movement disorder neurologists who specialize in Parkinsons Disease.

Neurophysical therapists and vestibular specialist Erin from Kaiser put on an amazingly functional neurology based-training program for health and fitness professionals who work with people living with Parkinsons.

Fabulous presentation by Drs and PT from Kaiser. As a brain practitioner, I loved learning functional exercises that target both how to reduce the risk of "freezes" but also how to work through a freezing epsiode.

I learned that there are two major areas of focus when working with people living with Parkinson's.  The first and foremost area of concern of their state of mind.

The second area of concern of people living with Parkinson's is motivation.  The PTs and Doctors shared motivational strategies like the reminder that "if you don't do it, the disease wins.  Get up, Do it.  Be accountable.  Be responsible.  You're empowered.

Specialists Neuro-PT, Erin showed amazing agility ladder drills stacked with my favorite stroop effect drill!  The tools they showed; amazing!  All my clients will benefit from speed and agility training.

Stroop is amazing for pre-frontal lobe activation.  Basal Ganglia,  Substantia Niagra.  Add metronome.  Bam.  It was so rewarding to see that the programs I wrote for my PD clients were right on time with neuro-specialist's suggested elements.

Amazing learning opportunity with awesome neuro-based exercises.  Pay attention to the Specifics.  Precise training gets precise results.  There is hope.  Train the input for better output.

Brains and Balance with Peripheral Neuropathy

The nervous system is divided into two parts: 1. Autonomic 2. Central.  The autonomic NS runs vital organs at set speed; an easy speed determined by your brain.  The central nervous system is movement and action oriented; a physical expression of the health of your brain.

Neurology 101  

1. Receives input  2. Interprets input 3. Sends output

The better the input, the better the output

You can't read fuzzy writing.  Your brain doesn't know what to do with messages from a bad ankle. The brain sees a fuzzy message it can't understand.  Not sure how to respond, movement is jerky.

Your barefoot can feel every crevice in the smooth tile.  Your brain is connected at the level floor.  You feel your foot wrap around the cool tile.  Messages are clear and crisp as you squat down to press your palms on the floor.  You're strong.  Your brain knows what's next.  All cylinders are firing.   Message to brain: Safe. I got this.

You can't see anything.  You don't know where to reach as you stumble toward what you think is the hotel bathroom.  Where's the light switch?  Shuffle.  Stumble.  You know the story, you can't feel the floor.  It's dark.  You can't see.  Where is the floor under my feet?  Message:  NOT SAFE.

People who cannot feel their feet, hands, fingers and/or toes have a nerve problem.  The nerves in these 'far' extremities are not sending messages to the brain.  If messages are sent, they're slow and inconsistent.  Message?  NOT SAFE.

Precise training gets your precise results.  Your brain needs activation.  The more precise the method, the more profound results.  Performance is enhanced tenfold.  Bam.  All cylinders firing.

But I can't feel my feet.  Yeah but your brain remembers your feet.  Your brain knows feet are present but doesn't know how to make them work.  Rather than rely on messages sent upward, Brains and Balance sends a safe message from the brain to the ankles and feet.

The plasticity of the brain is remarkable.  And promising.  If your brain knows the foot is there and Increased prediction results in more efficient and reflexive reactions.

Reflexes trump any voluntary response.  In Brains and Balance Z-Training with Coach Kelly, she will train your reflexive neural tract as you voluntarily practice precise drills to improve balance.  Kelly implements the best of the best balance training methods in order to meet your specific needs.
Movement is LIFE.  It's your choice.

The Fall Prevention Lady

Person living with Parkinson's Disease shows HUGE improvements after FallProof™ classes

Having just attended the PANC/Parkinson Wise train-the-trainer workshop at Kaiser on Saturday, I am proud to share some remarkable balance and fitness pre/post data from the FallProof™ classes I just finished at Fit4U in Carmichael, CA.

The first set of data reflect a 66-year old participant living with Parkinson's Disease.  Here are her scores:
Session #1:
Lower body strength:                          13 chair stands in 30s
Lower body flexibility:                       10" inches from toes
Dynamic Balance and Agility:            6.5 seconds to walk 8'

Session #8:                                                                                                 IMPROVEMENT
Lower body strength:                          16 chair stands in 30s                   +3 chair stands
Lower body flexibility:                        6" inches from toes                      +4 inches
Dynamic Balance and Agility:            5.9 seconds to walk 8'                   .6 second faster

While all of the participants deserve special recognition, I would like to also mention another "most improved" participant; an 85-year old woman with extreme knee and shoulder pain and limitations.

Her pre/post data:
Session #1:
Lower body strength:                          8 chair stands in 30s (used hands to get up)
Lower body flexibility:                       3.5" inches from toes
Dynamic Balance and Agility:            8.6 seconds to walk 8'

Session #8:                                                                                                 IMPROVEMENT
Lower body strength:                          9 chair stands in 30s        NO HANDS +1 chair stand
Lower body flexibility:                       2.1" inches from toes                   +1.9  inches
Dynamic Balance and Agility:            6.7 seconds to walk 8'                 +1.9 seconds faster

Super big congratulations to everyone who participated in this four-week training program.  Your hard work and effort truly paid off.  I am so proud of each and every person for sticking with it and having the mindset that they CAN DO THIS.

It's never too late to improve flexibility, increase strength and improve MOVING balance and agility; three very important risk factors related to falls.   Numbers don't lie and the improvements are evident to friends, family and especially your MOVEMENT RE-EDUCATOR and BALANCE AND MOBILITY SPECIALIST!

XO
The FPL

Measuring progress while living with Parkinson's Disease

I'm "The Fall Prevention Lady" and I've been a certified personal fitness trainer for nearly ten years and a competitive athlete my entire life.  As a result, I know the importance of continuous program evaluation in order to progress and meet fitness goals.  Program evaluation is even more important when working with a person who has Parkinson's Disease. 

I have worked with all stages of this progressively degenerative neurological disorder and I have to say that this disease moves at an unpredictable pace, greatly due to effective medication management.  As a result, some people demonstrate more symptoms than others.  The classic symptoms are the Parkinson tremor characterized by rigid and stiff movements, imbalance due to shuffling stride,  soft voice, poor posture. 

Regardless of prognosis, some days are better than others.

This is the case for everyone when it comes to exercise but it is particularly true of those living with a progressively degenerative disorder.  This is why it is important to have as much baseline data as possible so when a person is having a bad day, you can look back on numbers and visualize the progress even though it doesn't feel like much has been made.

I was working with a dear client the other day when she became visually upset.  She wimpered, "I need to hear some encouraging words.  I don't feel like I'm improving.  I'm doing all these exercises and I still can't do this.  I still feel imbalanced, I'm not improving."  What is wrong with me?

I silently held her hand before gently reminding her that she is living with a progressively degenerative disorder.  She cried, "Well that doesn't make me feel any better".  I said, "Wait a minute, hold it.  Maybe it's time we changed our perspective"......

I asked her if she had gotten worse in the past four months.  She said no.
I asked her if she can get out of the chair easier than she used to.  She said yes.
I asked how many chair stands she was doing each day.  She smiled and said, "I try to do 10 chair stands each day".
I reminded her about our first visit and how she could barely get out of the chair once.

I said, "So you're not improving, huh"?  She paused in thought.  I suggested she change her perspective from what she CAN'T do to what she can do.  How you look at a situation can influence your mood, your confidence, your outlook.  I also reminded her that she wasn't getting any worse.  

"But I don't feel stable walking through the house and I have to use this stupid cane". 
I reminded her that she may not ever feel as confident as she used to while walking but she's making smarter decisions now.  I reminded her about her limits of stability and that once we practiced within those limits, she quit putting herself in unsafe situations.  The result?  No more falls resulting from reaching beyond her sense of stability.

When she changed her perspective and looked at the things she CAN do, she agreed that she was moving better and and felt stronger.   My dear client may not be improving how she had hoped (perhaps returning to pre-Parkinson's ability levels?) but I had to remind her that she wasn't getting any worse and that she is successfully maintaining her independence.  This is why it's important to revisit original fitness goals and modify as necessary.  Keep the goals realistic and attainable so a person feels competent and able. 

She smiled at me through her tears.  I am so proud of this dear woman.  She is so hard on herself that she doesn't celebrate her successes.  Well, that's my job.  I celebrate her.  I adore her.  She is a true survivor and a mentor not only for those living with Parkinson's but also for anyone who takes life for granted. 







Coincidentally, I will be speaking at the Parkinson's Association of Northern California's (PANC) support group this Friday, April 26, 2013 at the Carlton Plaza in Sacramento, CA. 

Parkinson's Association of Northern California presentation

I, The Fall Prevention Lady,  have been invited to give my Fall Prevention 101 presentation at the Parkinson's Association of Northern California (PANC)'s April meeting.  This is so exciting for me because I have worked with tens of people living with Parkinson's Disease and I have seen them make amazing improvements in their balance, strength and flexibility skills.  There is hope! 

Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a chronic, progressive, neurological disease that destroys the cells in the mid brain which produce "dopamine", one of the chemicals that transmits movement control signals.  The primary symptoms of PD are:

• Resting tremor
• Slowness of movement
• Stiffness
• Gait or balance problems 

This will be a dynamic presentation that is both educational and interactive and I am thrilled to be able to educate this group about how to remain independent and prevent falls.  Being diagnosed with this disease does NOT mean falls are inevitable; you can reduce the risk of losing your balance.  Learning about factors that increase the risk and how to effectively challenge your balance are two keys to staying safe.  

My book, The Complete Guide to Fall Prevention, will be on sale for a discounted price to workshop attendees.   My seated stretching and strengthening exercise DVDs, Take 5 to Exercise, will also be available at a discounted rate.

The motto of the PANC is .."until there is a cure, hope and healing everyday"...
I am the messenger and my message is good!
See you in April. 

Carlton Plaza
1075 Fulton Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95825
Friday, April 26
10a-noon.

The Fall Prevention Lady