The Parkinson’s Foundation will host its annual Moving Day Buffalo for the first time on Daemen University’s campus on Saturday, Sept. 17, with help from students and faculty of the Physical Therapy Department.
The event is part of Parkinson’s Moving Day, a national effort to raise awareness about Parkinson’s disease as well as a celebration of movement that helps manage symptoms.
Lisa Inglis
Moving Day Buffalo will include a walk where individuals and teams can raise funds for lifesaving resources, quality care and research for improved treatments for those living with Parkinson’s disease. There will also be an educational tent where local organizations will share information about resources available to help those affected by the disease as well as create overall awareness.
Activities will begin at 9 a.m. followed by a ceremony at 10 a.m.
Anyone can register and join a team here or simply donate to help participants reach the Buffalo Moving Day fundraising goal of $75,000.
Leading up to the event, participants can access promotional resources to help reach their fundraising goals. Those who raise $100 and more will receive Moving Day gear sporting the event’s logo.
Daemen ideal space for walk
The Parkinson’s Foundation’s Western New York branch reached out to Lisa Inglis, clinical assistant professor in Daemen’s Physical Therapy Department, to request the university’s campus as the venue for this year’s event.
“We have a beautiful campus and it isn’t very busy or high-traffic on the weekends. It’s a safe space for the walk to be held,” said Inglis, whose research specializes in Parkinson’s disease.
She added, “It’s important that individuals see the campus and know where we are because they have options to work with our physical therapy students here in various ways. Having this interaction can help them feel comfortable coming to a lab or research facility at Daemen.”
Greg Ford
Treating Parkinson’s patients with physical therapy
Treating patients with Parkinson’s disease is an up-and-coming area in the field of physical therapy, Inglis explained.
“We have been expanding our curriculum and learning opportunities in this area for our students,” she said.
Physical therapists can work closely with and positively impact the lives of individuals with Parkinson’s disease, said Greg Ford, associate professor and Physical Therapy Department chair and program director.
“The whole goal of physical therapy is to promote enhanced function,” he said.
Ford explained that having faculty and students involved with the event will help highlight how physical therapists work with individuals with the neurological disorder to benefit them and their overall quality of life.
Inglis echoed this, stating, “This opportunity for our physical therapy students to volunteer and interact with individuals with Parkinson’s disease will provide further learning for professional development and expand the knowledge base they will move forward with as future clinicians.”
For more information on Parkinson’s disease, visit www.parkinson.org.