Acknowledgement
We would like to acknowledge the use of information taken from the Parkinson’s Disease Society fact sheet Freezing in Parkinson’s in compiling this information.
Our thanks to Dr W Farid Abdo1for his help in reviewing this article.
Funded by the EC Fifth Framework Programme
Website: www.rescueproject.org
The 3 year Rescue project, funded by the European Commission (2002-2005), investigated cueing as a rehabilitation strategy in Parkinson's disease. Details about the researchers and the published outputs of the team are available on the project's website. The website also provides background on the principles of cueing and information on cueing for people with Parkinson's disease and their carers: www.rescueproject.org/pubs/info_sheets.htm
A CD-Rom for therapists, outlining the cueing therapy programme used in the successful Rescue randomised clinical trial, is also available from the site.
Email: hs.rescue@northumbria.ac.uk
The Parkinson’s association in your country may also be able to provide information based on members’ experiences. The EPDA website [www.epda.eu.com] contains the contact details for European Parkinson's disease organisations and international Parkinson’s organisations.
Your Parkinson’s association may also advise and provide information and educational opportunities for health professionals.
As Parkinson's disease progresses, the effectiveness of medication decreases. Symptoms can re-emerge before it is time to take the next dose of medication (this is known as ‘wearing off’) or involuntary movements, like dyskinesia, can appear. When these periods of wearing off occur, some people cannot move as freely as before. Their feet may feel as if they are glued to the floor when they want to walk, or they may freeze, unable to step forward. Difficulties with movement are known as motor symptoms. But non-motor symptoms, such as lacking clarity when thinking, anxiety or fatigue can also occur.
Many people with Parkinson's disease have discovered and developed strategies that help them maintain movement and improve mobility to overcome their personal obstacles.
The coping strategies demonstrated in this CD-ROM, also available on the EPDA website, have all been presented by real people with Parkinson's, and were collected in physiotherapy workshops staged during European Parkinson’s Disease Association (EPDA) conferences, all over the world, from 2004 – 2007. It is clear from the simplicity and rawness of the footage that our intention was to capture spontaneous moments and authentic demonstrations.
This CD-ROM is part of an ongoing EPDA project called Coping Strategies - Tips & Tricks developed by people with Parkinson's, their carers and healthcare professionals. Aimed at improving quality of life, the EPDA also hopes this CD-ROM will provide professionals with techniques that can be creatively applied, and inspire future research.
