Adviser Winter 2019-20 LeadingAge New York Adviser LeadingAge NewYork Winter 2019-20 | Page 16

Feature
Community Wellness Partners Pedals
Forward with Parkinson’s Cycling Program
By Jeff Diamond
A
s aging services providers turn their
attention to 2020 and the new decade,
one of the most significant issues they
will need to address is how to meet the
increasing need for services and supports
for individuals with Parkinson’s disease.
At Community Wellness Partners – a
faith-based, not-for-profit affiliation of
LutheranCare® and Presbyterian Homes &
Services in Central New York – efforts in
this area have been long-standing. In 2001,
amid a push to expand its Parkinson’s-
related programming and bring more
patients into its care, Presbyterian Homes
& Services launched an innovative
telemedicine program, enabling community
members to connect with neurologists
from the University of Rochester free of
charge and without the inconvenience of
travel. Soon after, the organization opened
the doors to its dedicated Parkinson’s unit,
which then underwent renovation and
expansion in 2011 to accommodate the
needs of additional patients. Finally, in 2017,
Presbyterian Homes & Services initiated
the Rock Steady Boxing program on its
campus as a way to assist patients in slowing
the progression of their Parkinson’s and
improving their cognitive skills.
(See Community Wellness Partners on page 16)
15
Adviser a publication of LeadingAge New York | Winter 2019-20