Episode 53: The Benefits of Boxing and Other Out-of-the-Box Interventions for People with Parkinson's Disease

Stephanie Smith Goodman, COTA/L, is an occupational therapy assistant from Kansas City, MO. She graduated in 2016 as a non-traditional student with an OTA degree from Metropolitan Community College. Stephanie currently works as a coach at The Parkinson's Exercise and Wellness Center in Overland Park, Ks. As a life-long learner, she brings a multi-faceted approach to the battle against Parkinson's Disease.  Stephanie is a Rock Steady Boxing Certified Trainer, a yoga instructor of 20+ years (including training in adaptive yoga for persons living with disabilities) and a professionally-trained theatre actor, director/educator, and a recently trained instructor in Tai Chi for Rehabilitation. In addition to her OTA degree, she has a BFA from the University of Florida, and a MFA from the  University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music.
 
Stephanie loves sharing OT-based activities with her "Parkinson's fighters," and her classes reflect an atmosphere of hard work, camaraderie, creativity, fun and function. Her eclectic approach reflects her diverse skill-set and includes functional fitness, kinesthetic awareness, mind-body connection, vocal production, acting exercises, mental agility, fine and gross motor coordination, yoga, Tai Chi and ADLs.

Resources shared in this episode:

• Rock Steady Boxing [website]
• Podcast - Substantial Matters: Life and Science of Parkinson's. The host Dan Keller interviews experts in the PD field. Link: https://parkinson.org/Living-with-Parkinsons/Resources-and-Support/Podcast
• Free webinars about PD-related topics available through the Parkinson's Foundation
• The Awakening of Artistic Creativity and Parkinson's Disease [article]
• Mandy Chamberlain's Seniors Flourish

Connect with Stephanie:

• ​Email - sgoodman@thepewc.org
• Website - https://www.thepewc.org/