Parkinson's is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects the central nervous system with symptoms such as resting tremor - in the hands, arms, legs, jaw or head -, rigidity of the limbs and trunk, slowness of movement and impaired balance. All of this affects the quality of life of affected people who may have difficulty walking, speaking, performing simple tasks or cognitive and behavioral disorders.
To improve symptoms and guarantee a good quality of life for patients and their families, the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation service at Parc Taulí has incorporated a new therapy based on the observation of actions into the specific program for Parkinson's disease.
This therapeutic technique takes advantage of the brain's ability to improve people's motor function, especially walking, and coordination in daily activities through the observation of movements, "the principle of mirror neurons that are activated when we perform an action or when we observe a person performing that same action”, explains the director of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation service, Fernanda Caballero.
The program is designed to do 20 sessions, two a week, of about 60 minutes. During this time, a preliminary warm-up is done, followed by cardiovascular exercises, balance, walking, stretching and finished with the viewing of personalized videos doing movement exercises, which they must then put into practice. “Videos were created where the person with Parkinson's disease observes the therapist performing a specific action, with the images the aim is for the person to interact with a virtual environment where they observe and practice certain movements. They are also provided with the videos to view at home using a smartphone, computer or tablet.”, says Dr. Caballero.
The incorporation of this new therapeutic technique into the regular educational program has improved “significantly reduce the symptoms of Parkinson's, having a satisfactory impact on the mood and quality of life of the patients. The fact that they consider the activity to be of low difficulty and that it does not generate fatigue allows them to do it at home and make it part of their daily lives.”, assures the director of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation service.
The service also has a Rollz Motion Rhythm® walker that emits light, sound or vibration signals that are used in the rehabilitation treatment of patients with freezing of gait.
The Parkinson's Unit at Parc Taulí treats around 1.000 patients with Parkinson's disease and other parkinsonisms annually. To improve the care and quality of life of its patients, it has implemented a series of innovations such as:the expansion of the monitoring system, with two motion sensors to detect motor fluctuations in real time. This new technology provides more precise and continuous monitoring of the patient's condition, which allows treatment to be adjusted more quickly and effectively. In addition, treatment with home infusion pumps has been initiated, to improve patient accessibility and mobility. Previously, this treatment was carried out exclusively in the Day Hospital, but now it is possible to receive it at home, with the support of a nursing team, specialized in its initiation and control. In this way, the movements of patients, who often have difficulty mobilizing, are reduced", emphasizes the neurologist and Parkinson's specialist, Dr. Tania Delgado.
And, outpatient consultations already have the support of the nursing team specialized in these diseases to initiate and monitor treatments on demand; telephone monitoring and treatment support with infusion pumps.
The priority of the Parkinson's Unit is to improve the quality of life of these people by incorporating new treatments, continuously training to learn about the latest pharmacological developments, techniques and technology.
