Sports for Parkinson's Patients

This article has been published in the German magazine "aktiv dabei" by the sports society for the handicapped in North-Rhine Westphalia.

15.05.2006

Without feeling sad Udo Schröers points to the several cups and pictures that he won during his active soccer carrer and mentions his successes and activities. Soccer was his passion as an active player, a licenced referee and also as a board member of the soccer club SV Hohenheide. He led an ordinary life until fate showed him the red card: Parkinson - the diagnosis his doctors gave him.

The disease advanced dramatically. Only little time went by from the first uncontrollable shaking of the hands until he was unable to drive a car or writing legible. The result was unemployment and he fell in a deep psychological hole. But Udo Schröer did not want to accept his fate just like this and fought against the imminent isolation. He received support from his family and it helped him a lot to find out that the clinical picture can be influenced positively by sports.

Sports and honorary engagement were always important for Udo Schröer. Therefore he came up with the idea to establish a sports group for Parkinson's patients toghether with Jörg Zielonka, leader of pysiotherapy in the Marien-Hospital Wickede Wimbern. Said and done: since 2002 15 Parkinson's sports men and women joined the association for sports and health at the Marien-Hospital.

"It is important for Parkinson's patients that they do not retreat into some kind of snail house”, said Udo Schröer and he advises all patients to join a sports association. Not only because of experiencing how sports unite the participants but also in order to exchange problems and receive pieces of advice from other Parkinson's patients and to support each other. "This helps to cope better with this disease”, says Schröer.

Udo Schröer, leader of the Parkinson's sports group, is one of the most eager participants during the training hours. That sports activity and training could linger many symptoms of the illness as everybody knows in the group.

After the gymnastics programm exercises with a ball and fingers follow. This is followed by music where they train the feeling for rhythm, the concentration on the steps in dancing. In order to strengthen stamina they have to do a simple gymnastics with a rubberband.

The participants of the Parkinson's group know that the disease cannot be healed by sports. But they know that sports help to improve their quality of life and to stay independent. Therefore the Monday afternoon became a fixed appointment in the weekly schedule for everybody.

Rehabilitation sport influences not only physical factors, it works in a holistic way. This is why aspects such as fun and joy, building up social contacts and strengthening of self-confidence are very important, emphasise Udo Schröer and also Ursula Kneer, the chairman of the association.

Therefore, the association's activities are not limited to pure physical activity. at regular intervals duringthe year reports on topics like health are being held, excursions and parties are being offered which gives the Parkinson's patients a good feeling and they like being part of the group.

© aktiv dabei
Translation into English: REHACARE.de