Parkinson's Group Class

A group program for those with reduced mobility and stability aimed at improving strength, balance and functional abilities.

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The Positive Impact of NeuroGym®’s Parkinson's Group Class

Being active is essential to maintaining physical and mental well-being which can be more difficult with mobility limitations like those associated with Parkinson’s. Canadian guideline for Parkinson disease (2019) recommends “starting exercise as soon as the diagnosis is established.” That exercise improves the ability to perform activities of daily living as well as how people with Parkinson’s disease feel. Our unique equipment and active approach allows participants to safely practice the skills necessary to improve functional mobility, strength and fine-motor control. You can read the full Canadian guideline Here.

Distinctive Class
Features

Our classes focus on areas recommended by the Canadian guideline for Parkinson disease of balance, mobility, strength and functional task training. Operated and supervised by our highly trained kinesiologists, NeuroGym®s Parkinson’s Group Program goes beyond the conventional strength and mobility training by utilizing our unique tools that provide an enabling environment. 

This Class is for Individuals with Parkinson's Looking to Improve

  • Balance
  • Mobility
  • Strength
  • Fine Motor Control

Class Structure

Classes are run three times a week for 60 minutes each. Currently, these sessions are offered Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 5pm to 6pm. Sessions will be run using various stations (cardio, strength, balance, mobility, coordination) to maximize efficiency for each participant. Some time will be allotted to target individual goals for each participant. Participants will be assisted by physiotherapy assistants, student interns, and volunteers under the supervision of a registered kinesiologist.

Classes are purchased in three month blocks at a flat rate and operate on a drop in structure.

Registration Process

Before registering for the class an initial assessment with the supervising kinesiologist is required to ensure suitability and safety of participation.

Eligibility criteria:

  • Participants must be over the age of 18 with a Parkinson’s diagnosis
  • Participants must be ambulatory (gait aids such as canes and walkers are permitted)
  • Participants must be able to independently transfer between stations

To request an initial assessment with the kinesiologist or for more information use the form below or call us.

Contact us to learn more about our program and to book your first class.

Get In Touch

Client Stories

Explore some of our client stories below to gain insight into the outcomes of our unique rehab approach.

Request an Assessment

To request an assessment, fill in our form below or call us at (613) 523-9905 and we’ll help you book your appointment.
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Conditions we treat include:

  • Acquired Brain Injury
  • Spinal Cord Injury
  • Stroke
  • Multiple Sclerosis & ALS
  • Parkinson’s Disease
  • Ataxia (Friedreich, Charlevoix-Saguanay, etc.)
  • Cerebral Palsy
  • Guillain-Barré syndrome
  • Balance / Dizziness / Vestibular
  • Dystonia & Spasmodic Torticollis
  • Bells Palsy
  • Concussion​
  • Myositis
  • Progressive Supranuclear Palsy
  • Multi-System Atrophy
  • Peripheral Neuropathy
  • Complex Orthopaedic Conditions
  • …& more!

What Our Clients Are Saying

I have Parkinson’s Disease. Over the months I have improved in both strength and balance while my disease has not noticeably deteriorated at all. I feel fortunate to have found NeuroGym. The outlook for my disease without it could have been grim indeed.
I have MS, I’ve had MS since I was 18. My doctors had said “no, it’s chronic progressive”. But NeuroGym has given me the opportunity to build strength. It’s made a huge difference.
Our son had a stroke when he was 14 years old. He has been involved in five to seven day a week therapy. The recovery has been amazing. It’s been beyond expectations and dramatic.
I found NeuroGym after my mum had a massive stroke in February 2020. After 4 months of virtual therapy with NeuroGym, my mum has progressed from someone who I thought would never get out of bed to a one person assist.
This place is amazing, it gives people hope and opens doors in so many ways.
My son was getting married and I really wanted to walk up the aisle with my husband. NeuroGym helped me do it.
I was in a bad state and was discharged home in a coma. Then I began with Avi and the growth was exponential. The rest is history, I was here for twelve years. It’s a great place, I can’t express my thanks enough.
When I first came here I had almost no strength in my legs and I could barely move my right leg. You can imagine going from not being able to move at all, to standing, to being able to walk! This is the way for me to stay in shape and stay healthy.

Zeinab Garda, MHSc SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Zeinab became a Speech-Language Pathologist in order to help patients along on their journey to recovery, striving to help them find quality of life despite any challenges they may be facing. She feels she learns as much about life from them as they learn from her about speech, language, and deglutition.

After obtaining her BA with Honours in Cognitive Sciences of Language at McMaster University and her Masters in Speech and Language Pathology from the University of Ottawa, Zeinab began her career as a Speech-Language Pathologist, practicing in Ontario and Québec, in both private and community settings. Using her knowledge and experience, Zeinab has now launched her own practice: Hummingbird Speech Therapy.

Most recently, Zeinab joined the NeuroGym® team to work with our unique clientele. She brings her experience working with Stroke rehabilitation, neurodegenerative conditions, and swallowing disorders as well as her focus on offering engaging and functional patient-centered care based on clients’ interests and research-based best practices. 

When Zeinab isn’t practicing Speech Therapy, she can be found spending time with her dog, cooking and trying new cuisines, or working on digital art and acrylic paint projects.

Qualifications:

  • BA Cognitive Sciences of Language – McMaster University
  • MHS SLP – University of Ottawa
  • Registered Speech-Language Pathologist – College of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists of Ontario and Ordre des orthophonistes et audiologistes du Québec
  • SPEAK OUT!® Certification from the Parkinson Voice Project
  • MoCA Certification

 

Treatment Languages: English, French

Avi Nativ, PhD BScPT

Owner, Founder

The NeuroGym® concept was founded over 30 years ago by Avi Nativ PhD (Kinesiology), BScPT. Avi received his doctoral degree in Kinesiology from the University of Waterloo, and was a registered physiotherapist in Ontario for more than 25 years. While doing his doctoral and post-doctoral research work, Avi’s focus was on brain organization, plasticity and rehabilitation.

Avi was intrigued with scientific research findings that indicated the remarkable capacity of the brain to adapt after injury, and envisioned how such plastic changes could be encouraged through inventive ways of enabling more patient-initiated, active movement rather than the more conventional passive therapy approaches. Through rigorous research, he developed a line of custom, patented equipment and an evidence-based, active approach which combined have been providing amazing opportunities for those with neurologic injuries (even years post-acute) to continue to improve their motor skills.