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Five members of The Osborn’s Outpatient Rehabilitation team received certification in an evidence-based protocol for treating patients with Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders called LSVT BIG®.
Physical Therapists Shinette Serna, Beth Anderson, and Lawrence De Paz, as well as Occupational Therapists Kathleen Brennan and Mariel McKenzie, received LSVT BIG certification after undergoing the two-day training with Louise Guse, PT and Chief Clinical Officer of LSVT Global. The Osborn’s Speech Therapist, Kathy MacKenzie, is already certified in LSVT LOUD®.
LSVT Global originated in 2003 as the Lee Silverman Voice Therapy, designed to help those with Parkinson’s disease improve vocal projection. That protocol is now called LSVT LOUD. The scope of the organization’s work expanded to help people improve their movements with LSVT BIG.
According to the organization’s site (www.lsvtglobal.com), years of research and development have led to increasingly effective treatments. To date, over 19,000 speech-language pathologists have been trained in LSVT LOUD in 70 countries; over 16,000 physical and occupational therapists have been trained in LSVT BIG in 42 countries.
“Patients with Parkinson’s and related neurological disorders experience a diminished perception of their own sounds and movements,” explained Rob D’Elia, MSPT, MHA, The Osborn’s Director of Rehabilitation. “This work involves re-modulating how the brain experiences these activities and instilling patterns that enable patients to move and speak more effectively.”
LSVT BIG and LSVT LOUD are available at The Osborn Rehabilitation Center on an outpatient basis with a doctor’s prescription. The treatment typically takes four weeks and is covered by Medicare. To schedule an appointment, call Loria Coore at 914-925-8261. For more information about rehabilitation at The Osborn, click here.