Presenter
Becky Farley, PhD, MS, PT
Financial Relationship: Received an honorarium and travel expenses for this lecture.
Nonfinancial Relationship: None
Becky Farley, PhD, MS, PT received her MS in Physical Therapy from the University of North Carolina and her PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Arizona. During her post doctorate studies, she co-developed the LSVT®BIG therapy program and completed the initial National Institutes of Health research on its benefits. She now advocates that amplitude-focused skill training should be just one part of a comprehensive neuroplasticity-principled framework that integrates the latest research on rehabilitation, exercise, and wellness. This proactive framework is called PWR!4Life™, and it is being implemented and validated at the PWR!Gym® in Tucson, Arizona. In 2010, Dr. Farley founded the nonprofit, “Parkinson Wellness Recovery|PWR!” to help subsidize PWR!Gym®programs and research. She explains the essentials of how this type of proactive and ongoing integrated healthcare paradigm offers the best hope to slow Parkinson’s disease progression.
Lecture Description
Exercise for people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) reduces symptoms and can improve mobility, balance, motor coordination, and flexibility. Targeted exercises that are physically and cognitively challenging can also trigger physiological mechanisms that may slow down disease progression. Regular physical exercise can empower those with Parkinson’s and improve their quality of life. Watch this session to learn how a new paradigm offers lifelong access to progressive aerobics and PD-specific functional skill training. PWR!4Life™ is a proactive program that allows individuals with Parkinson’s to optimize their brain change (neuroplasticity) and remove the barriers that could prevent those with Parkinson’s from participating fully in exercise and in LIFE!