Parkinson’s patients with different symptoms take part in new exercise class
The long drive from Butler to Allison Park in Allegheny County for exercise workshops was made all the worse for Joann Dellen, who was going to those classes for help with her Parkinson’s disease.
Diagnosed in 2022, Dellen only recently found a similar workout program in Butler where she could participate in exercise activities specifically adapted to her condition. The Butler YMCA has chronic disease prevention classes which can be adapted to people with Parkinson’s, but Legacy Fitness in Butler recently began a Parkinson’s boxing program that Dellen said she has enjoyed so far.
“I have been driving to Allison Park back and forth, and, guess what? Parkinson's people aren't the best drivers,” Dellen said.
Katie Werner, chief operating officer and program creator at Legacy Wrestling and Fitness, said she and another staff member at the fitness center got certified to lead Parkinson’s exercise classes, and the center will also host a support group.
Werner leads people with Parkinson’s through a Rock Steady Boxing program, which is designed to not only help people with Parkinson’s exercise, but to also help them cope with symptoms of the incurable disease. Werner said people who participate in the program experience varying levels of symptoms, and the program trains them at their level.
“We're really focused on agility, gait — it's learning to pick your feet up and not shuffle,” Werner said. “And we have them scream or yell … It’s about connecting the body and the mind.”
The Rock Steady Boxing program and the upcoming support group at Butler Legacy Fitness are organized in partnership with the Parkinson Foundation of Western Pennsylvania, an agency that also helped Werner become certified.
Casey Peluso, vice president of programs and outreach for the Parkinson Foundation of Western Pennsylvania, said there’s a need for programs that help address Parkinson’s disease, because the region has a large population of patients. According to Peluso, about 18,000 people are living with Parkinson’s in Western Pennsylvania, and the aging population of the region will likely breed more patients in the coming years.
Parkinson Foundation of Western Pennsylvania is a nonprofit that provides resources for information, programs, support and connections for people with Parkinson’s and their families, and Peluso said the agency focuses on helping people manage symptoms.
“Exercise, along with movement, is the best way to manage Parkinson’s,” Peluso said. “We like to help promote health and exercise. It's helpful to have a support group in addition to exercise, and there wasn't one already established in Butler.”
Peluso also said while Parkinson’s is being diagnosed more and more accurately, early common symptoms may not be easily recognizable as relating to Parkinson’s. Symptoms like restless leg syndrome, the loss of smell, constipation and stiffness could be early signs of the disease, Peluso said, that many people might not pick up on.
“Parkinson’s affects neurology, physicality,” Peluso said. “I can’t tell you that I’ve ever talked to someone with Parkinson’s … without constipation, restless leg syndrome. If you don’t know it’s Parkinson’s, you wouldn’t know it was a connected issue.”
On Wednesday, May 8, Werner worked with Dellen, who has been experiencing Parkinson’s symptoms for years; a man, Tom Rice, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s four years ago; and a woman, Eleanor Dickey, who has a difficult time moving because of Parkinson’s. While Dellen and Rice boxed sandbags and traversed an obstacle course to the best of their abilities, Werner led Dickey in a dance, and helped her box against pads while seated.
Butler Legacy Fitness is having an open house from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 23, for people to learn about the Parkinson’s program, and it will feature talks from a neurologist and other medical professionals specializing in movement. The Parkinson’s support group is scheduled to meet at 1 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month at the gym, which Werner said will share information on resources, treatments and connections.
According to Werner, movement helps people with Parkinson’s slow or adapt to their condition, and community support can help them mentally as well.
“It slows the progression, sometimes decreases the effects and symptoms they are having,” Werner said. “The more of a community base we can get going for this program, the more volunteers that are coming in, the more hands on deck, it just benefits everybody.”
Dellen knows it’s important for her to keep moving to slow the loss of control of her muscles and her mind, but walking on concrete has become more difficult after years of Parkinson’s. As she explained, “movement is medicine,” so she is just glad to have a gym close to her home where she can get the support she needs on a padded surface.
“If we fall down, we can get up,” Dellen said about the fitness center. “If we don’t move, it just makes us slow down and shake more.”
For more information on the open house or the Parkinson’s support group, call Werner at 724-991-7299.
