MANAGING SYMPTOMS( continued)
Beyond Physical Therapy
General Exercises
• Performing regular exercise helps with strength, flexibility, posture, and mobility.
• Exercise also promotes cardiovascular fitness and a general sense of well-being and helps with stress reduction.
• Exercise takes many forms. Playing with the grandchildren, dancing, walking, chair aerobics, yoga, and even gardening( sitting or standing) all qualify as exercise. Aquatic( water) exercise is often recommended because water increases buoyancy and weightlessness. This helps people with mobility problems move with more ease and less fear of falling. The resistance water provides is also good for muscle strengthening. In addition, exercising in warm water can help muscles feel relaxed and less painful. For those who are comfortable in the water, aquatic therapy is a worthwhile form of exercise. Contact your local YMCA, community center, or health club to see what programs they offer.
• The trick to staying with any type of exercise or exercise program is to find one that is enjoyable for you.
• For a more detailed and individualized exercise approach, talk with your physical therapist. Happy exercising!
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Adapting to Functional Changes: How an Occupational Therapist Can Help
Tony Gentry, PhD, OTR / L, FAOTA
Though there is no cure for PSP at this time, there are a wide range of adaptive strategies, environmental modifications, and assistive technologies to support continued enjoyment of meaningful activities even as physical abilities change. Occupational therapists( OTs) are rehabilitation professionals who specialize in helping people with disability to manage everyday life. Working with an OT can teach adaptive techniques for performing ordinary tasks in new ways. Restructuring activities can conserve energy. Patients and families can make the home safer and more functional. Lastly, OTs will help patients find and use assistive technologies that will allow them to remain meaningfully engaged in life.
OTs undergo a rigorous education with graduate degrees and national certification to assist the people in managing physical, functional, perceptual, and cognitive changes related to disability. They are trained to operate from a person-centered perspective focused on patients’ and families’ personal goals rather than on“ cookbook” prescriptions. In this way, they build a supportive social and environmental context that allows the patient and family to continue doing the things they care about, despite PSP. The OT may address functional vision, physical skills, cognition, home safety and access, work, leisure, and community participation. They will work collaboratively with the patient and family to build the best mix of supports to help you. Though every person with PSP has a unique situation and requires an individualized approach, what follows is a look at some common problems in PSP and how an OT may be able to help.