I Love Neuro

Claire’s awesome speech therapist Stephanie Callander recently did a presentation in a course we held on facial training and hypomimia. It was such a good talk with very interesting takeaways for all disciplines. In today’s show I share the top takeaways and exercises you can practice with clients. I also share why this topic is so important for people with Parkinson’s and what hypomimia can actually mean in the global picture for a person with PD.

Are you looking at backward walking with your clients? I’ll admit, I haven’t really been, but in a recent NeuroSpark clinical call JJ shared some compelling research and data for people with multiple diagnoses for why we should be testing and practicing this skill! I’ll share why you should do backward walking, some recent research, and ideas to try yourself. We hope it inspires you to try something new in the clinic tomorrow!

Edwards EM, Daugherty AM, et al Backward walking sensitively detects fallers in persons with multiple sclerosis. MS and related disorders. Oct 2020.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S221103482030465X

What if you could have customized content for your workplace education? We’ve expanded our ability to serve your education needs even more by making flexible, custom courses just for you. We are so excited to do this, which was initiated by one of our NeuroSpark members who asked if we could do it. One of the things we LOVE is being in a position to offer helpful things to people because of the platform we’ve built. We can provide coaching and education on demand and make it flexible and custom to what people want. In the show we share the details of the current custom course we are working on and what is possible for the future!  

Please note, there are a few places where our internet connection wasn’t the strongest while recording, but the information is still understandable!

Anti-racist action: The Myths of Thanksgiving Story and the Lasting Damage They Imbue by Claire Bugos Smithsonian Magazine

On today’s show we are talking about money and how it can help you!  First, Claire is participating in a MOVEmber4PD fundraising challenge led by Jimmy Choi where they are walking, biking, or moving for 1 mile a day and raising funds for the Michael J Fox Foundation. Claire’s team is currently in lead and may win an opportunity to work out with Jimmy Choi!   

And second, we talk about Parkinson Foundation Grants because our NeuroSpark members are thinking about this and we are ready to support you! We share our experience and tips for you if you’re thinking of applying. We talk about what NOT to apply for and give our tips for a successful application. Now, go get that money and help your community!

Why might you do an intensive with a client? Have you ever done one or would you like to? Check out how Claire implemented an intensive bout of exercise with a client she’s been working with for 4 years and what prompted doing it.

Claire shares specific details from the outcome measures she used to determine why to do the intensive with her client, what additional factors she considers when scheduling assessments and intensives, and what her recommendations were. Claire will reveal the outcomes of a specific client case.

Anti-racist action: Advancing Health Equity: A Guide to Language, Narrative and Concepts

https://www.ama-assn.org/system/files/ama-aamc-equity-guide.pdf

After receiving so many questions from Claire’s free webinar titled Community Exercise Classes for People with Parkinson's: Beyond Insurance-Based Therapy we wanted to talk more about the topic of doing wellness assessments as a therapist.  

Why do wellness assessments? What can you do in a PT wellness assessment and how is it different from a PT assessment? How do you (can you?) use this information to determine if they can participate in wellness classes? 

Claire will discuss the assessments she picks for wellness assessments and why. She’ll discuss when and how these will be different from the assessments used in traditional therapy.

Anti-racist Action: Our words matter and why we should be shifting them as healthcare workers

https://www.ama-assn.org/about/leadership/our-words-matter-it-s-time-get-them-right

Watch the recording of Claire’s webinar here: Community Exercise Classes for People with Parkinson's: Beyond Insurance-Based Therapy

After being business owners, we can’t imagine not working for ourselves again, but it’s not all rainbows and sunshine. So what’s it really like to own a business? What do you need to adjust in your thinking so it doesn’t end up owning you? Join us for real talk today on the podcast.

Got a biz question you want us to answer on the show? Email us at [email protected]

In this Episode Claire talks with the first DPT student Rogue has ever had!

Rogue is so happy to have their student, Alberto Velasco. He has jumped right in with all the different classes, programs and services and is already an asset to the team! Rogue is not your normal clinic and comes with unique challenges. How is he navigating those?

Claire and Al discuss how the clinical is going so far, how the setting is different than most, what Al’s responsibilities have been and what their goals are for the next 2 months.

Running a biz can feel overwhelming and hard when you’re trying to figure it out all on your own. When you can peek inside another successful business it reveals so much and gives you some guide posts to follow. Who do you collaborate with? Who are you getting advice from? How do you learn what you don’t know? There are many things about business we don’t learn in school, so where are you going to learn it?? We talk about it here and guide you!

Let’s talk about how Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation (RAS) helps improve movement in our neurologic population! Does music affect gait and movement? What should you know about using RAS in your sessions? In the show we’ll share with you some tips from research on RAS, where to start and how to progress. We discuss the difference between using music and metronomes.

Anti-racist action: Quick video link that helps to explain why it is important to use pronouns