Health

During Parkinson’s Awareness Month, a free ECU program seeks to slow the disease’s progress

WUNC | By Sophie Mallinson

Published April 11, 2024 at 9:12 AM EDT

A group of people performs physical therapy exercises in a large carpeted room. A woman in black scrubs and two other people face the group and are leading the exercises at the front of the room. The group of about 10 people lean to their left with their left hand stretched in the air. They have yellow bands around their waists. — More than 36,000 people in North and South Carolina are estimated to have Parkinson's disease. ECU physical therapist Amy Wedge and occupational therapist Lauren Turbeville developed a free group wellness class for people with Parkinson's disease to help meet their movement, cognitive and fine motor function needs.

East Carolina University is offering free therapy services aimed at slowing the progression of Parkinson's disease.

More than 36,000 people in North and South Carolina have the progressive movement disorder, according to the Parkinson Association of the Carolinas. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that in 2021, nearly 1,200 people died of Parkinson’s in North Carolina.

“There are five stages of Parkinson's disease,” said ECU physical therapist Amy Wedge. “It is harder to restore movement than it is to prevent the loss of movement. As soon as somebody is diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, they should be referred for physical therapy, occupational therapy, to get going right away because we can slow it down.”

A white-haired man in a T-shirt stands at a white board, purple marker in hand. The white board is covered in purple lines that connect blue squares. In each blue square is a letter. — The free PWR!Moves exercise class combines physical and occupational therapy. In an hour-long class, participants may perform exercises aimed at helping walking, balance or fine motor control needed for activities of daily living — tasks like writing, eating or zipping up a jacket.

At ECU, Parkinson’s patients could make use of one-on-one physical therapy sessions or a pro bono student-run clinic. But, upon discharging patients, Wedge said there was a lack of programs in North Carolina to further support people with Parkinson's disease.

“Parkinson's doesn't go away,” Wedge said. “It is progressive. We discharged them, and our patients kind of declined. Then they have to come back. It's kind of like this vicious cycle.”

To stop that cycle, Wedge and occupational therapist Lauren Turbeville developed a free group wellness class for people with Parkinson's disease, largely funded by a $16,000 award from the Parkinson’s Foundation.

The PWR!Moves exercise class combines physical and occupational therapy. Wedge said that means patients can expect exercises aimed at improving walking or balance, as well as exercises to aid memory. Additionally, the class works to help with fine motor control needed for activities of daily living — tasks like writing, eating or zipping up a jacket.

“We know that exercise can stop or slow down the progression of Parkinson's disease,” Wedge said. “We are working our participants hard, but they come out smiling.”

By offering such services in a group environment, the class also serves to combat the loneliness Parkinson’s patients can experience, Wedge said.

The free hour-long class meets Mondays and Thursdays at ECU throughout the spring and fall. Registration is required by calling 252-744-6199.