Canines Care For Parkinson's Disease Patients;
Dogs Help Relieve Debilitating Symptoms of Parkinson's
Disease
PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Dogs have been
helping people with disabilities lead independent lives for
nearly seventy years. Now, for the first time, man's best
friend is being taught to aid Parkinson's disease patients
whose declining muscle coordination has led to difficulty
with walking, frequent falling and difficulty carrying out
other simple tasks.
This pilot program is a joint effort by Independence
Dogs, Inc. (IDI), a non-profit organization, Pennsylvania
Hospital, a part of the University of Pennsylvania Health
System, and SmithKline Beecham to train dogs in assisting
Parkinson's disease patients with severe symptoms that
cannot currently be alleviated by medications alone.
"As Parkinson's disease progresses, many patients have
difficulty walking which often leads to a compromised
quality of life. Two of the most severe symptoms that
patients typically experience are freezing, a phenomenon by
which patients suddenly halt movement and freeze in place
requiring a cue to continue moving, and loss of balance
which causes them to fall frequently," said Matthew B.
Stern, M.D., director of the Parkinson's disease and
Movement Disorders Center, Pennsylvania Hospital, a part of
University of Pennsylvania Health System. "By training the
dogs to tap a patients' foot with their paw, we have been
able to break the cycle associated with freezing. The dogs
are also trained to stay by the patient's side so that if
they begin to stumble the patient can use the dog's harness
as a crutch to regain balance. These dogs have
significantly reduced my patients' tendency to fall."
All dogs involved in this initiative received
approximately a year and a half of basic training. As each
dog's unique personality and temperament emerged, he or she
was carefully matched with a Parkinson's disease patient.
IDI trainers then spent hundreds of hours training the dogs
to meet the patient's individual needs. The final training
included a three-week session at IDI with patient and dog.
These dogs help patients perform everyday tasks
including opening doors, climbing stairs, retrieving
dropped objects, picking up the telephone receiver and
turning light switches on and off. They also offer
Parkinson's disease patients the security and companionship
often needed to give them the confidence to get out of the
house more frequently.
One Man's Story
Russell Moore, a retired dairy worker and father of
twelve, has had Parkinson's disease for almost nine years
and despite the best treatments his condition continues to
worsen. Over the years his activity level declined
significantly and he rarely left his house. Now with the
help of Ivan, his new canine companion, Russell has
regained much of the independence he had before being
diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. In fact, he has
reduced his total number of falls per day by nearly 70
percent (from 30 falls per day to less than 10). The two
take long walks together, go grocery shopping, go to the
mall and attend church regularly.
"When a vital, vibrant person is diagnosed with a
chronic illness like Parkinson's disease, often times they
feel like their life has stopped," commented M. Jean King,
president and founder of Independence Dogs, Inc. "These
dogs provide patients with the support they need to restore
their dignity and help them lead more independent lives."
The Parkinson's disease patients involved in this
initiative have dramatically improved their motor
coordination and have regained their independence.
SmithKline Beecham, Pennsylvania Hospital and Independence
Dogs, Inc., are continuing this program. Since these dogs
are provided to people virtually free-of-charge, regardless
of their financial status, IDI relies almost solely on the
charitable contributions of outside organizations like
SmithKline Beecham to subsidize training. IDI graduates
are only asked to make a modest donation towards the cost
of their dog's customÄmade harness.
At 10:05 am 07/12/97 -0800, [log in to unmask] wrote:
>Could someone post the article about the dogs trained to help people with
>Parkinsons again? I thought it was very interesting and would like to pass
>it on to a friend.
>[log in to unmask]
>
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