Community Corner

Residents with Parkinson's Work to 'Delay the Disease' at Wayne YMCA

About a dozen seniors are enrolled in a special program at the Wayne Y.

The following was submitted to Patch by the Wayne YMCA.

Jean LaVorgna, 66, and 82-year-old Don Fornuto sit facing each other playing tug of war with a Pilates ring, smiling as they attend to the serious business of combating the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. 

LaVorgna and Fornuto are among a dozen people with the neurological disorder enrolled in the Delay the Disease fitness program at the Wayne YMCA. The program, created a decade ago by an Ohio fitness instructor, helps to improve participants’ balance, flexibility, and strength while building confidence and camaraderie.

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“We focus on counteracting the symptoms,’’ says Drewann Rodney, who teaches the class at the Wayne Y, one of six branches of the Metropolitan YMCA of the Oranges. Participants practice getting out of chairs, walking without dragging their feet, and speaking loudly and clearly by leading cheers and telling tongue twisters.

Parkinson's disease is a degenerative brain disorder that affects at least 500,000 people in the U.S., with 60 as the average age of onset, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. It affects mobility and can make writing and speaking increasingly difficult.

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“Exercise is not a miracle cure, but it’s one of the few things that can really help,’’ says Rodney, a certified Parkinson’s exercise specialist.

LaVorgna credits the class with the good news she got during her last visit to the neurologist. “My doctor said I’ve improved a little, and instead of coming back to see her in three months, I can go six months (between visits),’’ LaVorgna says. “I’m thrilled!’’ 

“I’m not shaking as much as I used to,’’ says 85-year-old Harold Moroch, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s three years ago.  For Moroch, the class gives him the chance to chat and laugh with others. “It gets you out of the apartment. I meet new people all the time,’’ he says.

“Parkinson’s can be very isolating,’’ Rodney says. “The class is social and the exercises build their self-assurance to get out more.”

The participants, some seated, others standing, make forward circles with their arms, and Rodney yells, “Who’s counting?’’  A chorus of voices begins to count loudly. Then Rodney says, “bigger!’’ and they comply, though a few jokingly grumble.

When Rodney turns up the music, Fornuto calls out, “That’s a tango!’’ and leads the class in a parade around a circle of chairs, swinging his arms as he walks.  A couple of the seniors walk with canes while caregivers help others.

Diagnosed six years ago, Fornuto says Rodney “is the class,’’ inspiring participants to do their best while ensuring nobody feels pressured to do more than they are able. 

“I feel better coming here,’’ he says. 

Anyone interested in joining the 11:15 a.m. class on Wednesdays may call Rodney or Fitness & Wellness Director Cathy Scutti at (973) 595-0100. The Y has other offerings that improve mobility, including two senior fitness classes and chair yoga.

The West Essex Y, the Metro Y’s branch in Livingston, is starting a class this month for people with mobility challenges. The class is geared for people with knee and hip replacements, vertigo, vision impairment and inner ear problems, as well as Parkinson’s.

Anyone interested in joining may contact West Essex Y Associate Executive Director Cheryl Francione or Health Enhancement Director Barbara Santola, at (973) 992-7500.

The Sussex County YMCA runs a Better Balance class twice a week. The class started more than three years ago for members with multiple sclerosis (MS), but quickly attracted people with neurological disorders, hip and knee injuries and those recovering from strokes, said instructor and personal trainer Kevin Carhart. For more information, call (973) 209-9622.


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