Song used as therapy for those afflicted with Parkinsons

Reinisa MacLeod
Herald Tribune - You put your right foot in,
You put your right foot out;
You put your right foot in,
And you shake it all about.
You do the Hokey-Pokey,
You turn yourself around.
That's what it's all about!

Though one might not make an immediate connection between doing the Hokey-Pokey and Parkinson's disease, it's actually become a tool for Grande Prairie's Parkinson's support group.

According to speech pathologist Matthew Brown, the song and dance is one of the best known across every generation, its popularity dating back more than 60 years.

Because of this, he chose it as part of a singing activity for a speech and voice therapy group he often leads every month. The group is a casual event that takes place before the monthly Parkinson's support meetings at Wild Rose Manor.

At first Brown thought the participants would be unenthusiastic about doing the Hokey-Pokey dance that goes with the song.

Instead, it's become a highlight.

"(Everyone) loved that part of it," he said. "It became this really great thing. Those who could stand were standing up, that part was really cool.

"They really dug it, so we kept it."

Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder that attacks the nervous system. Those who have it experience difficulty with muscle co-ordination, tremors, or shaking, a difficulty moving and walking. The disease also affects one's throat muscles, and leads to trouble swallowing and speaking loudly.

It most commonly affects people over the age of 50, and can be prevalent on one or both sides of the body and gets increasingly severe over time.

The loss of bodily control often leads to anxiety, depression, dementia and hallucinations.

"Parkinson's is a confusing disease because it fluctuates so much," said Doreen Larsen, a participant in the speech and support group. "One day, or one hour, you can do things really well, maybe speak well, or your balance is really well – you're co-ordinated. A little while later you try to do something similar and it's not as effective."

Brown said the vocal group explores the Lee Silverman Voice Treatment method, which utilizes a variety of techniques to help those who have the disease speak louder.

"The whole gist of it is loudness, not just producing loud voice, but thinking loudly, breath control, posture corrections in order to project a loud voice," he said.

The group is a fun way for local residents who experience the disease to keep their speech in shape for as long as they can, Brown said. The participants all provide input and feedback as to what to explore and work on, and other methods to keep their vocal quality from declining.

Brown said that the primary exercises for the group include casual conversation, vocal warm-ups and, of course the singing.

"It might seem like we're joking around and having fun," he said "(but) there's always an undercurrent of we're actually doing direct therapy."