Medical device that uses light helps Parkinson's patients overcome "frozen walking" problems
By Janella Sayles
Published on the website of: NORTHWEST PARKINSON'S FOUNDATION
Parkinson's patients, including TOOWOOMBA MAN Clark Hoy, often experience what doctors describe as a "frozen gait", practically stopping their walking from time to time for a few seconds at a time. The situation can lead to falls and loss of independence. 5 years ago, a neuropsychiatrist from Brisbane Australia named Rod Marsh came up with an idea to create a device that would overcome the problem.
A product based on his idea was built by 12 engineers at the BRIGHT DEVICES technology company and inaugurated last week in ST. ANDREWS WAR MEMORIAL HOSPITAL in Brisbane.
The device, which was designed to be worn on the belt of the pants, senses that the person wearing it is starting to freeze and then shines a red dot on the floor, which encourages the patient to keep walking.
Dr. Marsh says that in people who have developed Parkinson's disease, the "automatic" process in which the brain instructs the body to walk is impaired, and then anything that diverts the patient's attention can cause stagnation in walking.
"When the patients freeze in place, I would put my feet in front of them and then they would step over my feet and keep walking" he says. The red laser dot serves as a visual cue to the brain and focuses the patients to keep walking.
Mr Hoy, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1999, says he is happy to be a "guinea pig". The 65-year-old man says that since he started using the device, the stagnation situations he experienced were less frequent and shorter. Deb's wife says the device, which has a retail price of $2199, is amazing. "When the battery runs out, he struggles," she says. "It just shows how much the device helps him."
She says the device, called AGILITIS, works better at home because it's hard to see the light spot in the bright sunlight.
Dr. Marsh says he hopes the device will improve the patients' quality of life, but emphasizes that the device does not cure the disease.
An estimated 80000 Australians have Parkinson's disease, including 17000 in Queensland.
