WORKSHOP OUTLINE

The Heads Up on Exercise for Parkinson’s is an online course delivered over three distinct online lessons, available to work through in your own time and come back to whenever you want to refresh your knowledge.

This course is designed for rehabilitation therapists and assistants, WALX and Nordic Walking UK instructors, and other fitness professionals who wish to provide intelligent exercise to people with Parkinson’s but is also suitable for Nordic Walking UK leaders and clients who wish to have a better understanding of the condition and considerations for exercise with Parkinson’s. It is suitable for people with Parkinson’s who wish to have a clearer understanding of exercise considerations in their own programme.

The course will improve your knowledge of Parkinson’s and give you an insight into the key elements exercise must contain to make it Parkinson’s-specific. It will highlight problems that a person with Parkinson’s may present with so you will be able to recognise them and plan a session, class or walk which is safe and appropriately challenging.

This course has been designed by Reach Your Peak in conjunction with WALX and Nordic Walking UK. Reach Your Peak is a physiotherapist team specialising in exercise for people with Parkinson’s (PWP), offering a virtual clinic for people with Parkinson’s to access support and expertise to make exercise a part of daily life, to stay active and live life to its fullest. See their work here: https://www.reachyourpeakonline.com/. The relationship with WALX and Nordic Walking UK has developed to improve professionals’ knowledge and expertise, and increase local access to appropriate walking and fitness classes for people with Parkinson’s.

NOTE: This course does not enable a rehab assistant, WALX or Nordic Walking UK instructor, or other fitness professional to diagnose Parkinson’s or to create an individualised rehab programme for someone with Parkinson’s; it is anticipated that this will be done by, or in conjunction with, a suitable qualified rehab or medical professional. The purpose of this course is to enable the rehab assistant, WALX or Nordic Walking UK instructor, or other fitness professional, to deliver a safe and effective session, better understand the challenges facing the participant, and be able to adapt exercises within a session to make them safer or more effective.

Format

The course is split up into 3 lessons:

• Lesson 1 is an introduction to Parkinson’s and presents the signs and symptoms, what is happening in the brain, and the different stages of the disease
  • Lesson 2 examines what a Parkinson’s prescription for exercise looks like: what types of exercise and how much; medication, dyskinesia; practical considerations when working with a person with Parkinson’s; and considerations when designing and planning a session.
  • Lesson 3 teaches you the key elements that exercise needs to contain in order for it to be Parkinson’s-specific, and discusses intensity and cognitive challenge. You are presented with a series of exercises that incorporate the key elements, encouraging you to focus on the principles of Parkinson’s-specific exercise and apply to any exercise programme whether at home, outdoors, in a gym or in a clinic.

Assessment

Online learning including videos of real-life examples and suitable exercises.

Upon registering, an Exercise Anywhere learning account will be set up and registration details will be sent to you. Please allow 48 hours for receipt of registration details.

Online quizzes at the end of each lesson are used to check learning. These online quizzes must be passed and all learning completed to claim the CPD certificate at the end of the course.