DELPHOS — When Vancrest Health Care Center Rehabilitation Director Bob Kann pioneered a program designed for Parkinson’s patients, he didn’t expect to become a national trailblazer. Twenty years later, the Parkinson’s Activity and Rehabilitation Klinic has shaped patient rehab around the U.S.
“It became nationally known in about 1994 when some University of Michigan faculty heard about it and called me. They came to visit and invited me to participate in a study,” he said.
Because of his schedule, Kann refused but another call came eight months later.
“They called again and said they had identified my program as one of the two most comprehensive in the nation and they wanted me to go speak at a symposium. It was about Parkinson’s and there were doctors, neurosurgeons and a professor from Northwestern University. After that, I got phone calls like crazy,” he said.
As notoriety spread, newspaper and magazine articles spread awareness of the program and Kann wrote a manual that has been adopted around the nation as health care providers replicate PARK in their communities.
Kann says those stricken with the disease walk with their shoulders dropped foreword and take small steps. He says they tend to “plop” when they sit and this can be hard on the spine. In addition, the patient might miss the chair or land on the edge and slide off.
“There are certain exercises the program focuses on to get them to take longer steps, stand up straighter and not ‘plop’ when they sit. I teach them to grab the arms and sit slowly,” he said.
“Every year, I have tried to improve the program. It started as an exercise program with five people and we now have about 60-70. The second year I video taped them walking and showed it to them so they could see how hunched over they were. The next year, we added the car transfer. We rope off the parking lot and teach them how to get in and out of the car. We also added training on getting up and down stairs and sitting down in a chair. So, we’ve developed the program,” he added.
Not only does PARKS benefit patients, but their caregivers as well. Many patients are elderly and have equally-mature spouses who are unable to lift them. For this reason, as well as improving self-confidence, patients need to be able to maneuver on their own as much as possible. Kann says this is the purpose behind PARKS.
“They have to remain as active and functional as possible. They have to make the most of their muscles; Parkinson’s is a nuisance — not the end of the world,” he said.
Kann has delivered presentations at symposiums around the nation over the past 20 years. Each time, he tells organizers he wants a bed, stairs, a chair and two Parkinson’s patients he has never met. With 35 years of experience, he is well-prepared.
Kann says the disease is degenerative and there is no cure.
“Until they get the cure, we have the treatment and the medication to reduce its symptoms. The most important thing is to continue the program at home. They cannot just sit and watch T.V. — that’s the worst thing they can do. They have to stay active. Get out of the house; go to church, to take a walk, go to a friend’s house or out to eat, but get out of the house,” he said.
In the world of Parkinson’s treatment, Kann says Delphos is a ‘giant’ because Vancrest offers the PARKS program free of charge. Participants come from as far as Cincinnati and Cleveland for the weekly group therapy sessions. Kann says he evaluates patients with a doctor’s order and determines the patient’s ability to keep up with the group. If they cannot, individual therapy is an option.
Kann is a “Badger State” native who received his education at the University of Wisconsin. He was the rehab director at a Des Moines hospital for 15 years before taking a similar post at Lima Memorial Hospital in 1987. He created PARKS the following year and came to Vancrest in 2002.