The source of this article is the Telegram: http://tinyurl.com/7czvg

Monday, June 27, 2005
Stretching to the beat
  By DANETTE DOOLEY, Special to The Telegram

When Gordon Rice began having trouble crossing his skates, it never crossed 
his mind that his lack of co-ordination was the first warning sign of 
Parkinson’s disease.
“The first thing I noticed was I used to skate a lot and I had a job to 
make the corners. Getting one foot over the other used to make me trip up. 
But I never, ever fell down,” Rice says, after finishing his weekly 
exercise class at the L.A. Miller Centre in St. John’s.

He’s been attending the exercise-to-music class regularly since being 
diagnosed with Parkinson’s almost three years ago. The disease is one of 
the most common neurological disorders, affecting one out of every 100 
adults in Canada.

According to the Parkinson’s Society of Canada, it is a progressive 
disorder of the central nervous system that causes tremors, rigidity, 
slowness of movements, gait disorder and a loss of balance.

Despite popular belief, Parkinson’s is not found only in the elderly. The 
Parkinson’s Society of Canada estimates that one out of five Parkinson’s 
cases occurs in people under the age of 50.

Although there is no cure, modern treatments and therapies can allow people 
with Parkinson’s to lead active lives.

Because the muscles tend to stiffen, exercise is an important part of any 
therapy regime. In addition to attending the program at the Miller Centre, 
Rice spends much time at Memorial University’s Field House walking the track.

Rice says his life has changed tremendously since the Parkinson’s diagnosis.

“I was in the (construction) business. We had a big crew and things started 
to go wrong. And it’s like a snowball going downhill. The further she goes, 
the more problems she picks up.”

Rice believes pressure from trying to keep his business afloat brought on 
symptoms of the disease. There are many situations which cause these 
symptoms to worsen, he says.

“Put me in a place where there’s pressure on me, and I start to 
deteriorate. I start to shake. And it’s the same if I’m in close quarters. 
It’s like something makes you frightened. You lose all your strength.”

In pointing out how Parkinson’s has changed his lifestyle, Rice looks to 
one of his passions in life: spending time with his family at their cabin.

“I used to put the motor on the back of my boat, but I can’t do that 
anymore. I got to wait for someone to come along and help me. And I have to 
have an electric start, where before I could pull the cord.”

Before hanging up his skates for good, with the encouragement of his 
friends, Rice gave it one last shot.

“I went back this year to try it once more. The skaters were there and they 
helped hold me up. So, I tried for their sake. But I couldn’t do it. It was 
too risky. My knees were shaking and my arms were shaking. It looked like I 
was frightened to death. So I had to give it up.”

Rice says he’s slowly accepting his diagnosis, and credits the exercise 
class at the Miller Centre for helping him do that.

Whether exercising to Siochana’s The Greenland Whale Fishery or the Ennis 
Sisters’ Lord of the Dance, as long as it’s Newfoundland music the 
participants are happy, he says.

“This group is great, but there’s not enough of it. We need it at least 
twice a week,” he says.

“I can tell you that Nancy (Drodge) is great at leading the class. She’s 
the one who does it every week. But Bonnie (Corbett) did it with us last 
week. She was good, too. She laughs a lot. And that got us laughing, too.”

Drodge and Corbett are physiotherapist assistants with the Health Care 
Corp. of St. John’s. The exercise-to-music program has been offered in 
co-operation with the Parkinson’s Society of Newfoundland and Labrador for 
more than a decade.

“All your muscles stiffen up when you have Parkinson’s, and it affects the 
whole body,” Drodge says.

“So it’s important that we exercise all the muscles from head to toe, 
including their vocal chords. And they love the music, but it has to be 
Newfoundland music. We put on the Home Brew CD and the police band, 
Siochana, donated us a copy of theirs, as well.

“We see an improvement in many of these people as they become familiar with 
the exercises. And lot of them do them at home, which helps in between 
classes.”

Sister Ida Pomeroy has been living with Parkinson’s for seven years. While 
progression of the disease has been slow, her symptoms have worsened over 
the years, she says.

“Right now, I’m inclined to be stooped. So my main goal is to keep my back 
straight. I’m working hard on that,” she says, taking a break after 
finishing a class.

This is the sister’s third year coming to the program. She uses a walker to 
get about, and credits the exercises with helping her maintain her mobility.

“I used to have two people to help me out of my chair. But I can do it 
myself now,” she says, placing her hands on the arm of the chair and 
standing on her own.

“It takes a lot of determination and struggle, but it’s worth it in the 
end. And it could be so much worse. At least I can get out of bed and get 
about and wash and dress.”

She especially enjoys coming to the Miller Centre on Wednesday mornings to 
meet the others members of the exercise program. The music makes it that 
much more enjoyable, she says.

“I find it very helpful, both physically and social wise. When you begin to 
know each other, you look forward to coming.”

Patricia Morrissey is executive director of the Parkinson’s Society of 
Newfoundland and Labrador. The society has offices in St. John’s, Grand 
Falls-Windsor and Conception Bay North. There are also liaison people in 
Corner Brook and Labrador City.

Morrissey says it’s been determined through research that exercise is more 
beneficial when accompanied by music. She’s says the co-operation between 
the physiotherapy department at the Miller Centre and her organization 
ensures the program best meets the needs of those living with Parkinson’s.

“We strongly encourage exercise because it’s important for people with 
Parkinson’s to keep moving so the muscles don’t tighten up. And the 
feedback we’ve been getting over the years confirms what the research tells 
us — that people find the exercises much more enjoyable when they’re doing 
them to music.”

Back at the Miller Centre, Sister Pomeroy and Gordon Rice are getting ready 
to head home. When asked if they’d mind getting their picture taken before 
they leave, Rice turns to his exercise companion and says, ‘Put up your 
dukes?’ mocking the boxing movement that exercises the arms and hands.

Pomeroy smiles, clenches her hands into fists and raises them in front of 
her face.

“How’s this?” she laughs.

The camaraderie confirms what the physiotherapist assistant and others in 
the class have said — that their time spent at the Miller Centre is about 
much more than exercising the body.

“We joke around with each other a lot here, and we all have a lot in 
common,” Rice says.

“I think you need to tell other people about this exercise program because 
I’m pretty sure there are people out there that don’t know about it. And 
they should,” he says, putting on his jacket and heading towards the door.


For more information on the exercise-to-music program, contact the 
Parkinson’s Society of Newfoundland and Labrador at (709) 754-4428.

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