Telerehabilitation for Parkinson's Disease

Our primary objective in this 10-week pilot study is to demonstrate the feasibility of using videoconferencing technology to provide Parkinson's Disease (PD) patients, alongside their supervising care partners, specialized physical and occupational therapy (PT/OT) focused on neurorehabilitation that ultimately aims to reduce fall risk. This therapy is similar to what a PD patient could receive in-person with neurologic-certified physical therapists and occupational therapists with significant experience working with PD patients and addressing their needs, but it is delivered through a virtual platform. Feasibility is defined by measures of adherence, retention, and safety. The specialized PT and OT measurement tools and strategies used in this study are in-line with the most current formal evidence-based guidelines/recommendations available for therapy in PD: European Physiotherapy Guideline for Parkinson's Disease, Parkinson Evidence Database to Guide Effectiveness (PD-EDGE) Task Force and Guidelines for Occupational Therapy in Parkinson's Disease Rehabilitation. The study duration is approximately 10 weeks of the primary telerehabilitation intervention and a 2 follow-up phone calls at the 3- and 6-month timepoints. There will be one baseline in-person evaluation and one final in-person evaluation following the completion of all televisits. The enrollment target is up to 15-20 patient and care partner (P+CP) pairs, meaning 30-40 subjects total. There are no controls for this study.