Business Beat: Aldersbridge therapists certified in “Big and Loud” Parkinson’s program

Photo: (L-R Timothy VanHorn, Karyssa Silva, Amie DiAngelo, Amelia Iglesias)

Four staff members of Aldersbridge Communities are now trained and certified in LSVT BIG and LSVT LOUD. These specialized exercises and therapy techniques have been statistically proven to improve the quality of life for those living with Parkinson’s Disease (PD).

The four staff members certified in the LSVT BIG and LSVT LOUD programs are:

• Timothy VanHorn, a physical therapist from Seekonk, MA
• Karyssa Silva, an occupational therapist from Dartmouth, MA. Karyssa is also the Director of Rehabilitation at Aldersbridge’s Physical Therapy & Wellness Center
• Amie DiAngelo, a certified occupational therapy assistant from Barrington
• Amelia Iglesias, a speech-language pathologist from Providence

“I have personally witnessed individuals living with Parkinson’s achieve and accomplish daily tasks that they have previously lost the ability to complete due to Parkinson’s,” says Karyssa Silva. 

“For example, I have personally treated a man who used to go out to eat with his family every week and he was canceling the outing because he could not position his chair under the table or push the chair out from the table without the assistance of his brother-in-law. After completing the LSVT BIG program, he was able to resume his weekly outing without needing assistance.”

According to Silva, several persons living with PD have recently been directed to the LSVT BIG and LSVT LOUD programs at Aldersbridge through the Parkinson’s Foundation and the East Providence Senior Center. Aldersbridge employees have helped those living with PD achieve goals such as re-learning to ride a bicycle and strengthening their vocal cords in order to FaceTime out-of-state relatives.

LSVT BIG trains people with PD to use their body more efficiently. People living with PD or other neurological conditions often move differently, with movements and actions that become smaller and slower. The treatment improves walking, self-care and other tasks by helping people “recalibrate” how they perceive their movements with what others actually see. 

LSVT LOUD is an effective speech treatment for people with PD and other neurological conditions. Certified LSVT LOUD therapists help individuals living with PD improve their ability to communicate by strengthening their voices, and improving their enunciation. Other benefits of LSVT LOUD training include improvements in eating and swallowing. 

LSVT is named for Mrs. Lee Silverman (Lee Silverman Voice Treatment), a woman living with PD. The program was developed by Dr. Lorraine Ramig and has been scientifically studied for over 25 years with support from the National Institute for Deafness and other Communication Disorders within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other funding organizations. 

About Aldersbridge Communities

Aldersbridge Communities, originally founded in 1971 as United Methodist Elder Care, is a nonprofit healthcare organization that provides communities where older persons can live in comfort, dignity, and with purpose. Winslow Gardens (assisted and independent living in East Providence), Linn Health & Rehabilitation (skilled nursing, rehabilitation, long-term care in East Providence), Arbor Hill Assisted Living (Federal Hill section of Providence), and St. Germain Assisted Living (Woonsocket) provide residents with the living environment and level of care that best suits their individual needs.
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