Possibilities of occupational therapy to improve quality of life in Parkinson’s disease

Due to the growing incidence of Parkinson’s disease in the Russian Federation, there is a need to improve rehabilitation care and bring it in line with international models. The aim of the study was to investigate the possibility of using occupational therapy to improve the quality of life of persons with Parkinson’s disease. To achieve this goal, 18 patients were examined at the treatment and rehabilitation center of the Clinical Hospital of the Russian Presidential Administration in Moscow. Before and after the course of ergotherapy all the patients were tested for the quality of life with the help of Functional Independence Test (FIM), Rivermead Scale of Activities of Daily Living (S. Whiting, N. Lincoln, 1980; D. Wade, 1992) and the EQ–5D–3L. The results of the study were processed using Statistica 10 software. The results of the study showed that Parkinson’s patients have the most difficulties with such activities as putting on clothes, eating, taking care of themselves, and writing. Classes with an occupational therapist help to solve these issues by training basic ADL, instrumental ADL, productive activities and leisure time activities.