Aim: The primary objective of the study was to evaluate the effects of a community-based exercise program for adults with Parkinson's disease (PD). Patients & methods: This one-group pretest and post-test design involved 22 participants with PD who participated in two to three exercise sessions per week for 8 weeks. Outcomes assessed for statistical significance included balance, mobility, cognition, activities of daily living, sleep and quality of life. Results: Although exercise is positively correlated with improvements in function, this short-duration study did not demonstrate this. Qualitative themes revealed an increase in self-perceived socialization, coordination and motivation to continue exercise. Conclusion: This community-based exercise study showed improvements in socialization, self-reported coordination and motivation to exercise. Further research is needed to assess community exercise interventions for PD.

Date Presented 4/8/2016 The aim of this study is to describe the family quality of life (FQOL) of people with dementia using a recently modified FQOL survey. The results suggest occupational therapists should explore ways to enhance FQOL by shifting from medical to community-based models of intervention. Primary Author and Speaker: Rosanne DiZazzo-Miller Additional Author and Speaker: Preethy Samuel Contributing Authors: Erin Skotzke, Hilary Diacono

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