Independent again with the help of IM: Paul’s Story

Independence is one of the most important outcomes a Parkinson’s patient is concerned with when degeneration starts to occur. So when Paul fell and couldn’t walk on his own or manage daily tasks, he felt like his life was over...especially when he was admitted to inpatient rehab. His OT introduced IM into his therapy plan and after only 6 sessions Paul was discharged from inpatient therapy but still had to use a rolling walker. Paul continued to do IM in outpatient therapy and that’s when the gains really started to show. At discharge, Paul was able to perform multiple repetitive sit-to-stand transitions without physical assistance, retrieve items from overhead and the floor independently, perform floor transfers independently, transport small items while walking, and resume working in the carpentry shop. Because he had regained control over his standing balance for short periods of time, Paul was able to resume performance of grooming tasks while standing and to sing an entire hymn at church without holding on to the pew. The read Paul’s full story below.