260: Improving Parkinson's Care In Rural Areas: Insights From A Physical Therapy Monitoring Program With Jamie Haines, PT, DScPT, NCS
Release Date: 04/07/2025
I Love Neuro
So many clinicians are passionate about ensuring their clients get everything they need to gain the level of independence and quality of life they deserve after diagnosis. The disappointing part is they don’t always have access to the expert care they need. That’s where Leann Vitale, MS, OTR/L found herself several years ago realizing she had a dream to start her own practice in order to fill the gap. Taking that leap is scary and risky. Fortunately she met the perfect contact and mentor to get her going! In this episode of the I Love Neuro podcast, Leann shares her transformative journey...
info_outlineI Love Neuro
Treating individuals with ataxia is challenging for many reasons. Having some key insights from the literature is just what you need! That’s why on this week’s episode Erin Gallardo, PT, DPT, NCS interviewed Dr. Jeannie Stephenson, PT, PhD, MS, MCS and Dr. Staci Shearin, PT, PhD, NCS, GCS to discuss their research and clinical experiences in treating ataxia. The speakers recently presented a webinar inside NeuroSpark for members and the takeaways were so good we had to bring them on the podcast to share more! In the episode you’ll learn their insights on various types of ataxia,...
info_outlineI Love Neuro
Are you a neuro clinician working mobile or thinking about starting your side gig? Perhaps you’ll want to expand into your own space. day. Perhaps you already are and want to see if you can learn anything new. This episode will break it all down! Erin Gallardo, PT, DPT, NCS has a conversation with Han Nguyen, PT, DPT, NCS about how she built Neubility Rehab from a mobile practice to a brick-and-mortar in St. Petersburg, FL. She shares her top tips for negotiating equipment and co-op space as well as strategies to increase revenue outside of patient care. Key Insights: - Negotiated...
info_outlineI Love Neuro
A question many clinicians face is whether or not to go to a residency program. There are pros and cons either way and a LOT to consider. Additionally, with so many residencies available to clinicians there are things you want to look for that will be a good fit for you. Erin Gallardo, PT, DPT, NCS and Claire McLean, PT, DPT, NCS talk with Mari Biers, PT, DPT who is currently completing a neurologic residency at the University of Missouri. This conversation highlights multiple perspectives as Mari is currently in residency, Claire completed a neurologic residency and Erin did not do a...
info_outlineI Love Neuro
We’ve heard from our audience a lot that working with people with dementia can be very challenging for a number of reasons. In this episode Erin Gallardo, PT, DPT, NCS interviewed Dr. Natalie Douglas, a speech-language pathologist and dementia expert on her insights for rehabilitation professionals working with individuals living with dementia. Learn key tools that will help individuals follow through with tasks more independently while breaking down the barriers to application of the tools, practical strategies, do’s and don’ts of working with individuals with dementia and how to...
info_outlineI Love Neuro
Today’s episode compares persistent dizziness with persistent pain. There are patterns and insights from the literature that can help clinicians improve their approach to treating people with dizziness. Erin Gallardo, PT, DPT, NCS interviews Marc Broberg, PT, DPT, NCS on his theories after diving into the literature and treating people with dizziness for 15 plus years. Marc explains how approximately 25% of people with dizziness develop persistent symptoms. He shares the one key factor in determining how well they will recover. He believes successful treatment isn't about eliminating...
info_outlineI Love Neuro
We all know rehab is not accessible to everyone who needs it after a neurologic injury. There are a number of reasons why, and, fortunately, there are also people looking to solve that problem. On today’s show we interviewed Amy Rohe, MS, OTR/L, CSRS, ATP who works for Neurofenix, a company that is transforming neurological rehabilitation with its innovative virtual therapy platform. The primary tool used by the OTs of Neurofenix is the NeuroBall, an FDA-approved device, that offers patients engaging, data-driven occupational therapy from the comfort of their homes. This model of delivery is...
info_outlineI Love Neuro
Staying up on the latest evidence in neuro rehab? This interview is for you! Erin Gallardo, PT, DPT, NCS interviewed Dr. Timothy Faw, a neuroscientist and physical therapist about his research path - where he’s been and where it’s going. Tim discusses the work his labs have done in a few areas including the plasticity of gray matter and myelin and the implications on motor learning and movement in spinal cord injury. He also discusses tactics on eccentric gait training - that are basically the opposite of what we think of as high intensity - and how they are impacting outcomes. More...
info_outlineI Love Neuro
When people live in a rural area it can be very challenging for them to get access to specialty care. What are they missing? What could be different? How can we help? In this episode, Erin Gallardo, PT, DPT, NCS sits down with Jamie Haines, PT, DScPT, NCS to discuss her work on a Parkinson's disease monitoring program in rural Michigan. People with Parkinson's in rural areas face significant barriers to accessing specialized care, with only 9% seeing a movement disorder specialist. Jamie's program involved visiting participants 3 times over a year, providing individualized assessments,...
info_outlineI Love Neuro
Vestibular nerds this one is for you! Even if you’re just a regular neuro nerd, you’ll love this episode. Erin Gallardo interviews Patrick Esmonde of Vestibular First. Patrick shares the inspiring story behind the creation of Vestibular First and the company's mission to develop affordable, accessible tools to support clinicians in providing better vestibular care. Since necessity is the mother of invention, Patrick details the process of building the first prototype of Vestibular First goggles in a single night, leveraging his diverse technical skills and material purchased on Amazon....
info_outlineWhen people live in a rural area it can be very challenging for them to get access to specialty care. What are they missing? What could be different? How can we help? In this episode, Erin Gallardo, PT, DPT, NCS sits down with Jamie Haines, PT, DScPT, NCS to discuss her work on a Parkinson's disease monitoring program in rural Michigan. People with Parkinson's in rural areas face significant barriers to accessing specialized care, with only 9% seeing a movement disorder specialist. Jamie's program involved visiting participants 3 times over a year, providing individualized assessments, recommendations, and education. This hands-on approach helped participants improve their fall risk factors, though self-efficacy was slower to change. She shares insights on why that could be and what can be done. Jamie shares key findings from her project and provides advice to those living in rural areas. This work highlights the critical need to address the disparities in Parkinson's care for those living in underserved communities. Jamie's dedication to finding solutions is inspiring, and her insights can help guide future efforts to improve access and outcomes.
To learn more about how the program got started and other details listen to this episode:
173: Improving access to care in rural areas and ramping up creative dual tasking
https://www.parkinson.org/library/fact-sheets/exercise-recommendations
To get mentorship from Jamie inside NeuroSpark and Parkinson Focus Track visit www.joinneurospark.com today!