Active Living With Parkinsons
Summarized by Dr. Agnes Coutinho MSc PhD
Health professionals are recommending the ACTIVATOR Poles for Parkinsons clients as research studies clearly show walking with poles is an effective, safe and enjoyable physical activity*. Physical activity, such as walking with poles, may improve motor skills, balance and gait quality, as well as supporting mental health. Clients with Parkinsons and participants of Parkinsons-specialized programs agree, and report that, using the ACTIVATOR Poles promotes greater independence and improves quality of life. ACTIVATOR Poles have even helped our customers participate in Walk Events with Parkinson’s associations.
What Are The Best Shoes For Parkinsons Patients
In my opinion, the Nike FlyEase collection features the best and most comfortable shoes for Parkinsons Patients. The reason why I recommend Nike FlyEase is that they come with a unique design that makes them easier to wear and take off with minimum effort. You can also consider Kizik shoes which are also great for Parkinsons Patients.
Adjustable Weight Writing Pen
Thiss an affiliate link, and while it may not cost you anything extra, if you make a purchase through this link, Ill earn a small commission.
This oversize weighted pen is designed for people who have a tremor due to Parkinsons disease. Its ergonomic design provides maximum comfort and efficiency, regardless of your writing style. It has a wide and large barrel that provides a good grip. The barrel is made of high-quality material and is very strong.
The great feature about this pen is that it is packed with five 10 grams weights. These weights can easily be added or removed as desired for balance and efficient writing. This feature is particularly helpful for people with Parkinsons disease. Parkinsons patients usually have a tremor that changes over time, it gets sever as the disease progresses. This pen is a great help for them. It allows them to adjust the weight according to their tremor severity.
The pen comes with black ink and uses standard ballpoint pen refills. to buy.
Also Check: Voice Exercises For Parkinson’s Patients
How It Is Different
Most devices that provide sensory cueing/feedback for FoG are research devices. Many of these methods are not portable and cannot be used outside the lab environment. Additionally, most devices use cues of a single type: visual, auditory or tactile. Some portable devices are already on the market such as Agilitas, Path Finder, Walk to Beat and Walk Aid. However, as far as we know, no device on the market exists that integrates all three forms of sensory cueing to overcome FoG. Our Parkinson Smart Cane integrates visual, tactile and auditory feedback into a self contained, portable device.
Watch: ‘smart’ Walking Stick That Can Help Parkinson’s Sufferers Regain Rhythm
The device can sense when a user’s limbs have frozen and then help them to regain their rhythm and start moving again.
Zee Media Bureau
New Delhi: Neha Shahid Chaudhry, the granddaughter of a man with Parkinsons disease, has developed a smart walking stick that could help thousands of people living with the condition.
The device can sense when a user’s limbs have frozen so that they cannot continue walking. Recognising a pause in motion, the stick vibrates to help the patient regain their rhythm and start walking again.
Watch the video here-
Video credit: News and Funny Clips/YouTube
Neha, product design technology graduate of the University of the West of England and founder of start-up company Walk to Beat, Chaudhry has been overwhelmed with the response to her product.
Her invention may benefit half the 127,000 Parkinson’s patients in Britain who regularly experience joint freezing and abnormal gait symptoms.
Read Also: Young Onset Parkinson’s Symptoms
How Does It Work
Smart Walking Stick is a smart device that detects freezing. It does this because the handle of the stick is packed with sensors that activate when a patients legs stop moving . When the sensors detect this freezing episode, they trigger the handle to vibrate, which the patient feels. The vibration cues the patient to take a step forward and resume walking. Once the patient has resumed walking, the vibration stops.
So basically, the stick works by acting as a cue to the brain to keep moving.
Granddaughter Of Parkinsons Patient Invents Smart Walking Stick To Help Thousands
18 May 2016
A student entrepreneur whose grandfather was debilitated by Parkinsons disease has created a mobility aid to improve the lives of other patients with the condition.
Neha Shahid Chaudhry was inspired to invent a smart walking stick after witnessing her late granddad struggle with the disease for seven years, repeatedly suffering falls when his joints seized up.
The device detects when a users limbs have frozen and they cannot continue walking. Recognising a pause in motion, the stick vibrates to help the patient regain their rhythm and get moving again.
Product design technology graduate Neha, of the University of the West of England , hopes her invention can benefit half the 127,000 Parkinsons patients in Britain who regularly experience joint freezing and abnormal gait symptoms.
It has already been successfully tested among dozens of Parkinsons patients, and the NHS and Parkinsons UK charity have expressed an interest in her product.
Neha, 23, founder of start-up company Walk to Beat, has been overwhelmed by the response to the technology.
She said:
International student Neha, born in Pakistan, came up with the idea in 2014 as part of an end-of-course project in which she was challenged to devise a product which could solve a real world problem.
Neha said:
The mobility aid was designed to look like a conventional walking stick to ensure it did not draw attention to the patient and their condition.
Neha said:
Tags
Read Also: Parkinson’s Fight Club The Villages Fl
Hugo Adjustable Quad Cane
Lets start with Hugo Adjustable Quad Cane which is arguably one of the best Walking Aids for Parkinsons Patients. The cane comes with a very comfortable handle with an ergonomic design which makes it easier for a Parkinsons patient to hold comfortably while getting a good grip.
One of the main highlights of Hugo Quad Cane is that it comes with an adjustable design which makes it easier to adjust the height according to your comfort. Hugo Quad Cane is ideal for people with a height between 5 and 6.5, which means that it will work well for most people.
Creator Of Walk To Beat Parkinsons Disease Stick Sets Eyes On New Projects
Neha Shahid Chaudhry, the creator of Smart Walking companion stick for Parkinsons patients is all set to develop a stream of new products for the elderly who suffer from conditions that affect their daily lives.
Neha is Pakistani student in the UK who got international recognition last week for coming up with a solution for the elderly having Parkinsons disease in the form of a walking stick.
Neha developed the desire to develop the stick after continuously seeing her late grandfather suffer from it. She studied the disease up close and worked with several physiotherapists, neurologists, and patients until she finally came up with the solution.
The research helped her develop 13 potential candidate products that could help Parkinsons patients. This was the time when she was still in college in the United Kingdom. The smart walking stick became a reality when one of her tutors saw the potential in it and asked her to apply in a design competition.
She won the UNLTD Do-It award which helped her secure the initial funds for the product. She also got a space to work at the Robotics Laboratory Incubator. When she won her second award in 2015, she won an approximate of $20,000 in money. This money eventually helped her develop the project further and helped her secure additional investment.
The smart walking stick has successfully helped many Parkinsons patients in walking especially when their joints freeze due to the disease while walking.
Also Check: Nursing Home Care For Parkinson’s Patients
Pakistani Student Develops Innovative Walking Stick To Assist Parkinsons Patients
Wednesday Oct 11, 2017
LONDON: A Pakistani student-entrepreneur whose maternal grandfather was debilitated by Parkinsons disease has developed an innovative walking stick to improve the lives of patients with the condition.
Neha Shahid Chaudhry, a 24-year-old graduate of the University of the West of England, told Geo News in an exclusive interview that she was inspired to invent the mobility aida smart walking stickafter observing with helplessness her late grandfather in Pakistan struggling with Parkinsons disease.
Neha, a Product Design Engineer with a Masters in Marketing, and the founder of Walk to Beat, was born in Lahore and gained initial education from the Beaconhouse School. She moved to Saudi Arabia with her engineer father at the age of 14 and studied there till 2009, moving to the UK in 2010 to study at Kingston University, London. She passed her product design technology undergraduate in 2014, Masters from the University of West of England Bristol in 2016 and has ever since been working on the stick.
My grandfather struggled with the Parkinsons disease towards the end of his life and we couldnt do much he repeatedly suffered falls, rendering him unable to walk and as a result falling and hurting himself, she said.
It was towards the end of her undergraduate degree in 2014 when she came up with the idea as part of a project in which she was challenged to devise a product which could solve a real world problem.
Drive Medical Folding Walker
Drive Medical Folding Walker is arguably one of the best Mobility Aids for Parkinsons Patients. If you are in an advanced stage of Parkinsons, you will need a reliable Walker which will help you move around, and I recommend Drive Medical Folding Walker, which is the best Walker for Parkinsons Patients.
The best thing about Drive Medical Folding Walker is that it comes with an Aluminum frame which is very durable and lightweight, which makes it easier for you to carry it. It also comes with a foldable design, which allows your Carer to fold it, and you can carry it while moving from one place to another.
Another reason why you should consider this Walker is that it comes with a U-Shaped design which provides great clearance and makes it easier for you to carry it.
Drive Medical Folding Walker can easily support a person with a weight of up to 350 Pounds. Overall, if you are looking for a reliable Walker, I recommend Drive Medical Folding Walker.
Recommended Reading: Can Head Injury Cause Parkinson’s
Do Laser Canes Reduce Freezing
Laser canes do not in any way reduce gait freezing to a Parkinsons patient. In fact research has shown that there is no hand-held device that would reduce gait freezing. They will actually slow down the patient more.
However, the laser light from these devices can help cue the patient on where else to make their next step.
Parkinsons disease is a neurological condition that progresses with time. It gets to a point where the patient wants to move but there is a delay from the CNS to the foot. With a visual cue like a laser light though, the message is driven home.
Therefore the patient is reminded of what they were doing before they froze.
Other cues that have been tested and found great include audio. A patient could have some periodic sound tones playing in resonance to their steps. With these tones, even when they freeze, the mind is reminded of what it was doing and goes back to the initial rhythm so that they freeze less.
How Does It Help Parkinsons Patients
Parkinsons disease occurs as a result of the death of certain cells in the brain. These cells produce a chemical called dopamine, which is a neurotransmitter responsible for controlled movement. It is due to the deficiency of dopamine that severely affects the brains ability to send movement signals to different parts of the body, including the legs. As a result, the patients get tired quickly and experience trouble walking. Most often, they stop suddenly whilst trying to step forward, this is called freezing. This sudden freezing can be hazardous for patients as it can make them fall and cause serious injuries.
The basic science behind the In-step LaserCane is the projection of visual cue in the form of a laser beam light, which sends a message to the brain to allow the leg to move forward.The laser line automatically projects right in front of the leg as soon as the cane comes in contact with the ground. This bright laser line serves as a safe, obstacle-free visual cue, which prevents falling and help Parkinsons patient to begin the step by stepping over the line. The laser line disappears when the cane is lifted and reappears when it touches the ground again for another step thus allows the patient to step after step and restore the normal walk.
Also Check: Parkinson’s Disease And Chiropractic Care
The Laser Walking Cane For Parkinsons Patients
- Height adjustable from 5 feet to 6 feet
- Lightweight weighing only 3 lbs
- Only needs 2AA batteries that could last for upto 6 months
- Produces a bright visual cue
It is important to note that laser canes are not the best walking aids for Parkinsons disease. They might however be the cheapest aid.
According to research, the best aid would have to be a Parkinsons wheeled walker. We found the u step 4 wheeled walker to give the best walking experience with lowered chances of falling due to a lowered base plus it can negotiate through thin and tight corners.
Granddaughter Of Parkinson’s Patient Invents ‘smart’ Walking Stick To Help Thousands Of Sufferers
A student entrepreneur whose grandfather was debilitated by Parkinson’s disease has created a mobility aid to improve the lives of other patients with the condition.
Neha Shahid Chaudhry was inspired to invent a ‘smart’ walking stick after witnessing her late granddad struggle with the disease for seven years, repeatedly suffering falls when his joints seized up.
The device detects when a user’s limbs have frozen and they cannot continue walking. Recognising a pause in motion, the stick vibrates to help the patient regain their rhythm and get moving again.
Product design technology graduate Neha, of the University of the West of England , hopes her invention can benefit half the 127,000 Parkinson’s patients in Britain who regularly experience joint freezing and abnormal gait symptoms.
It has already been successfully tested among dozens of Parkinson’s patients, and the NHS and Parkinson’s UK charity have expressed an interest in her product.
Neha, 23, founder of start-up company Walk to Beat, has been overwhelmed by the response to the technology.
She said: “When I gave the product to patients to be tested, there were smiles on their faces and they were saying ‘This could really work’. It seems unbelievable that I have made something which could help people, even if it is to a small extent. It’s a great feeling for me and the patients are happy somebody is thinking of them.
Explore further
Read Also: Does Amy Klobuchar Have Parkinson’s
What Is The Best Rollator For Parkinsons Patients
There are many great Rollators available, but if you want the best Rollator for Parkinsons Patients, I would recommend you to go for Medline Freedom Rollator. It comes with high-quality wheels, which provide strong grips on most terrains, and you can easily control them with brakes. Also, it comes with an aluminum frame and a Foldable design, which are icing on the top.
Who Designed It
Smart walking stick was developed by Neha Chaudhry, a Pakistani born graduate student from the University of the West of England and the founder of a start-up company Walk to Beat.
Her idea was inspired after witnessing her late grandfather who used to freeze frequently while walking due to Parkinsons disease. According to Neha, his condition was getting worse and there was no mobility aid at that time that could help him.
This led her to think of designing a device that could allow other Parkinsons patients to overcome their freezing episodes and walk again without falling.
It was during her final year of her master studies at the University of the West of England when she got the opportunity to work on her idea of designing a walking stick for Parkinsons patients. After working tirelessly for several months and with the support of Bristol Robotics Lab, Neha developed an early model of the stick in 2014. Its tremendous potential has been recognized and Neha has received many awards including the Entrepreneurship Award at the European Robotic Forum 2017, the Future Spark Award at TechSpark 2017, and the Medilink South West Healthcare Innovation Award, 2019.
The stick has already been successfully tested on several Parkinsons patients. According to Walk to Beat, the smart walking stick will be soon available for purchase on a trial offer of £159, in the UK only.
Read Also: Does Parkinson’s Cause Neuropathy
How To Use It
The In-step LaserCane is very easy and safe to use. Its not different in any aspect from other normal cane when it comes to use it for walking. Simply put pressure on the cane, takes a step over the laser beam line, pick the cane up off the ground and moves it forward, and take the next step. Its that simple to use.
It is very light and you will feel like using a normal stick. Plus, you can easily adjust the height according to your comfort. This is just another reason this cane is so convenient and a must have if you have an abnormal gait pattern.
The cane is powered by two AA batteries, which are easily replaceable and last for half a year.
Wheelchairs: Choosing The Right One
As PD advances, a wheelchair may become a necessity. It is important to know what to look for when picking the chair and who on your comprehensive care team can help you make this decision.Here are a few tips to guide you through the process:
- Schedule an appointment with your occupational or physical therapist to find out which chair best meets your needs.
- Check with your insurance company to learn about covered services in your plan. Not all wheelchairs will be covered.
- Try to pick a lightweight wheelchair, as they are easier to lift in and out of the car. Depending on your needs and your caregiver situation, you might want a wheelchair with more features for the home and a lighter, even foldable, wheelchair for travel.
- Choose a reclining chair back, which is helpful if making posture changes, have low blood pressure or need to rest during the day.
Read Also: Non Shaking Parkinson’s Disease