LAFAYETTE, La. — LAFAYETTE, KATC - Nearly one million people in the United States are living with Parkinson’s Disease. This illness affects the central nervous system often resulting in involuntary shaking, slowness of movements, and other cognitive impairments.
That’s where Rise Therapy, a clinic that specializes in enhancing the quality of life for people with Parkinson’s Disease through brain-stimulating activities comes into play. They offer a Rock Steady Boxing Class that takes place twice a week. With over 50 boxers, this class helps patients with their fine-motor skills, prioritizing mental health, and ultimately helping patients gain their confidence back all while making new friends in the process.
“With Parkinson’s it tends to make them move really small but with boxing you need to have big movements. This week was about real life, we try to tackle all problems that they might have in real life and for a lot of them, it’s fine-motor skills,” Rise Therapy Co-owner Rodi Aucoin said.
Vermilion Parish Native Randall Trahan understands the challenges that come with this illness. 17 years ago, Randall was diagnosed with Parkinson.
“It’s a degenerating disease, it takes a toll on you over time. It’s not something you can’t go under a knife and take it out, it takes time to keep working on your mind and brain,” he said.
Getting back on his feet through the help of exercise, he first learned about the Rock Steady Boxing class through a support group in town. The Lafayette Parkinson Support Group, is a free organization that provides useful information for patients and caregivers. The group conducts meetings every third Monday of each month at City Club in River Ranch at 6 pm. The group of friends support each other on their Parkinson’s journey.
For three years, Randall has attended the Rock Steady Boxing class and he’s noticed major improvements.
“Before, I could not stand on one leg for two seconds, now I can stand for about 10 seconds. The punching bags, I could barely hit it, now I can go through the whole rep without missing a beat,” he said.
Rodi tells KATC, private insurance and medicare can cover the cost of the class. If not, they offer a monthly payment plan. They are currently working on fundraiser efforts to help offset the cost for patients who don’t have the benefits of insurance or the finances to be able to pay monthly.
Knocking Parkinson out of the ring, Randall along with his friends have developed a greater appreciation for life. Fighting back against Parkison one class at a time.
For more information on the Parkinson support group go to,
https://www.lftparkinsonsupport.com/
Or contact Patrice Williams, Lafayette Parkinson Support Group Coordinator.
E: info@lftparkinsonsuport.com
For more information on Rise Therapy go to,
https://www.riseptla.com/
