Participants report improvements in Tai Chi for Parkinson’s buddy pilot program.
March 1, 2009 by David Bendall · Leave a Comment
Researchers at D’Youville College in Buffalo conducted a randomized pilot study of a tai chi buddy program where 8 individuals with Parkinson’s disease and 7 support partners without Parkinson’s disease. All participants received a 45-minute per week session of tai chi for 12 weeks. The program was evaluated based on a participant survey, group discussion, instructor reflections and a review of attendance records. The participants reported benefits in the physical, psychological and social domains. 13 out of the 15 participants, including 6 out of the 8 with PD reported a physical benefit due to practicing tai chi with improvements to balance being most frequently reported. Instructor and participant testimony suggested that movement capability might also have been improved due to the tai chi classes.
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