Water therapy and people with Parkinson's disorders

[Guest guest]

It's important to be aware that people with LBD or any other type of

neurodegenerative disorder can have a period of " disconnect " when they are in

the water. They can become very buoyant and not be able to put their feet down

and stand. It can cause them to go face up or face down in the water. There are

two things we do each time my sister gets into pool therapy.

1) She's never in the pool without an aide, and 2)Per a physical therapist's

recommendation, we purchased ankle weights that we can strap on (2 1/2 lbs

each). She wears them the entire time she's in the pool and when I remove them,

her legs bob to the surface and she starts rolling. She sometimes thinks she can

stop it, but we've discovered that she can't.

Just thought it might be helpful for people to be aware of this.