{"id":201199,"date":"2023-07-13T11:58:27","date_gmt":"2023-07-13T15:58:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=201199"},"modified":"2023-10-11T11:20:27","modified_gmt":"2023-10-11T15:20:27","slug":"uconn-health-patient-starts-parkie-pong-in-her-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2023\/07\/uconn-health-patient-starts-parkie-pong-in-her-community\/","title":{"rendered":"UConn Health Patient Starts \u2018Parkie Pong\u2019 in Her Community"},"content":{"rendered":"

A typical week for Laini Weitz includes pickleball, running, hitting a heavy bag, cycling, and lifting weights.<\/p>\n

Already an avid exerciser, the 72-year-old West Hartford resident didn\u2019t need much convincing that staying physically active would become even more important when she learned in early 2022 that she had Parkinson\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t a big change for me to say, \u2018OK, now I have to exercise,\u2019 except I\u2019m probably now more maniacal about it,\u201d Weitz says.<\/p>\n

\"group
From right: Lisa Hanse, Rebecca Sears, and Laini Weitz are the organizers of the West Hartford Senior Centers’ Parkie Pong program, where those with Parkinson\u2019s disease can use ping pong as a form of physical therapy. They invited UConn Health social worker Kristen Vavrek (left) for the program\u2019s kickoff June 14, 2023. (Photo by Karen Mendoza)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But then a knee injury limited her options.<\/p>\n

\u201cI tore my meniscus, and I was out of pickleball for four months. You can\u2019t do that to me,\u201d Weitz says. \u201cSo I said I need something else. Well, ping pong doesn\u2019t have the same demands, so maybe I\u2019ll play ping pong.\u201d<\/p>\n

She played ping pong in college, and occasionally had been playing with her grandchildren. But when figuring out how to make it part of her exercise routine while sidelined with the knee injury, she learned of ping pong\u2019s emergence as an effective way to help people with Parkinson\u2019s disease maintain their function, and in some cases, regain some of the function that was lost.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the more I looked at it, the more I found all sorts of literature about how this is great for cognition and for spatial relationships, and for socialization and for strategy, and for movement and for gait, it just kept adding on and on,\u201d Weitz says. \u201cAnd it wasn\u2019t just people talking, it was doctors who were saying this.\u201d<\/p>\n

In time she would bring the idea to her local senior center, where it would become both a recreational activity and a form of physical therapy to help those with Parkinson\u2019s maintain their dexterity and motor skills.<\/p>\n

Not long after her diagnosis, Weitz started working with Kristen Vavrek, a social worker in UConn Health\u2019s neurology practice who works with patients in the Parkinson\u2019s Disease and Movement Disorders Center<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think for me a lot of the adjustment is psychological, coming to terms with what this diagnosis means in the present and the future, sharing the diagnosis with my husband, and us working together as a team,\u201d Weitz says. \u201cPhysically it wasn\u2019t a whole lot because my symptoms are still relatively mild and I\u2019m not on medication.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Kristen
Kristen Vavrek is a licensed clinical social worker in UConn Health’s neurology practice. (Tina Encarnacion\/UConn Health photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Vavrek runs two Parkinson\u2019s support groups, one for patients and another for caregivers. At a meeting earlier this year, Weitz presented to the group about how those with Parkinson\u2019s disease could benefit from playing ping pong.<\/p>\n

By then an idea already had formed to bring \u201cParkie Pong\u201d to the Elmwood Senior Center, which has four ping pong tables at its Elmwood Community Center location.<\/p>\n

\u201cWould this be a crazy idea?\u201d Weitz remembers thinking. \u201cAnd so I did a lot of research on numbers, sent a proposal to Rebecca Sears and Lisa Hanse at the West Hartford Senior Centers. I said, \u2018Parkie Pong, why not? You used to have a program for Parkinson\u2019s but not ping pong, and during COVID that got disbanded, maybe it\u2019s time to do something again.\u2019 And they said, \u2018We love it!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOur movement disorders team worked collaboratively with Laini and the West Hartford Senior Centers in support of a Parkie Pong program there,\u201d Vavrek says.<\/p>\n

Volunteer ping pong players join those with Parkinson\u2019s disease at the senior center for regularly scheduled games, by hitting balls back from the other end of the table or simply by picking up the ball for the players.<\/p>\n

\n

The more that she learned and researched about the benefits of ping pong with Parkinson\u2019s disease, she was able to shift her focus on helping others and her community.
\n — Kristen Vavrek<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a safe place to play, and to get some exercise and to socialize, and to know that you\u2019re accepted,\u201d Weitz says. \u201cIt\u2019s a place where you can open up and maybe shed some of the anxiety or some of the depression that comes along with it because you\u2019re having fun. You\u2019re doing something that\u2019s good for you in a fun and supportive environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

The concept has grown in recent years. The nonprofit PingPongParkinson was established in Westchester County, New York, in 2017 by Nenad Bach. Bach was a musician whose Parkinson\u2019s disease hindered his ability to play guitar. He noticed improvement after using ping pong as a form of physical therapy and was able to go back to playing guitar after about six months. The idea has spread to several other states and there\u2019s a chapter in Austria.<\/p>\n

\"speaker
UConn Health Social Worker Kristen Vavrek gives a presentation at the Elmwood Senior Center about managing Parkinson\u2019s disease. (Photo by Karen Mendoza)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Elmwood Senior Center held a kickoff event for its Parkie Pong program June 14. The organizers asked Vavrek to be the keynote speaker.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just have a ton of respect for Kristen and everything she does,\u201d Weitz says. \u201cI think she has a beautiful way of relating to people. She\u2019s empathetic and caring, and friendly and knowledgeable, and I thought she would just be a great person to kick off our program.\u201d<\/p>\n

To take part in or learn more about the Parkie Pong program, which is free and open to those with Parkinson\u2019s disease and their support partners, call 860-561-8180 or email WHSC@WestHartfordCT.gov<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cSocial work is a systems framework as to how we focus on care, and Laini connected herself to her community, which is exactly what we hope to see in our patients,\u201d Vavrek says. \u201cAs she was adjusting emotionally and psychologically to the news of her Parkinson\u2019s disease diagnosis, she looked for ways to continue to help herself and in doing so, she found ping pong as an outlet. The more that she learned and researched about the benefits of ping pong with Parkinson\u2019s disease, she was able to shift her focus on helping others and her community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Every 6 Minutes<\/b><\/p>\n

An estimated 90,000 Americans will be newly diagnosed with Parkinson\u2019s disease this year. It works out to a new diagnosis for someone \u2014 and with it, an understandable cascade of emotions \u2014 about every six minutes.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s why social work is an integral part of care at UConn Health\u2019s Parkinson\u2019s Disease and Movement Disorders Center<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just about the disease, it\u2019s also about how they feel about the disease and what\u2019s going on for them, looking at the impact of what\u2019s being said to them and who their support network is,\u201d Vavrek says. \u201cA lot of conversations that I have are the conversations we have in our heads, but not necessarily the conversations that we have in the open with people. And I\u2019ve had a lot of patients tell me that can be really lonely. So I encourage open dialogue, and I\u2019ll say to people, \u2018I\u2019m starting the conversation with you and your loved ones here today, and I encourage them to continue this conversation at home.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Two
UConn Health social worker Kristen Vavrek (left) speaks with Laini Weitz during the July 2023 meeting of UConn Health\u2019s support group for Parkinson\u2019s disease patients. \u201cShe continues to assist patients and their families live a happier and healthier life with Parkinson\u2019s disease,\u201d says Dr. Bernardo Rodriguez, director of the Parkinson\u2019s Disease and Movement Disorders Center. \u201cIn her role, she is able to identify challenges not typically discussed during regular doctor appointments, and she connects patients, families, and caregivers with appropriate resources. She helps us provide patient-centered care in a multidisciplinary approach, and patients always know that they can count on her.\u201d (Photo by Chris DeFrancesco)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That can include the often daunting conversation about long-term plans such as advanced directives.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t know what\u2019s going to happen, but if we can do a little bit of planning today, that\u2019s going to help alleviate some of the anxiety and those fears of what is to come in the future,\u201d Vavrek says. \u201cThese diagnoses don\u2019t just affect the person with the diagnosis.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the time of diagnosis and shortly afterward, one goal is to help patients identify and build their support network. The discussions reinforce the benefits of socialization in the community, whether extended family, fellow support group members, a senior center, a church, or an exercise group.<\/p>\n

\u201cApathy is something that is really significant in Parkinson\u2019s disease,\u201d Vavrek says. \u201cThe mood component to Parkinson\u2019s disease, which is a non-motor symptom, is your apathy, depression, and anxiety. In my role as a social worker, I help patients identify signs of apathy and ways to manage their mood symptoms to enhance their quality of life and not let the disease control them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Licensed clinical social workers hold master\u2019s degrees and are trained to help people navigate challenges in their lives. In a health care setting, they help both patients and their families manage changes brought about by illness or injury by providing counseling and connecting them with resources.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe feel lucky to have two wonderful licensed clinical social workers in our department,\u201d says Dr. Bernardo Rodrigues<\/a>, UConn Health neurologist and director of the Parkinson\u2019s Disease and Movement Disorders Center. \u201cWe often work with patients and families living with progressive, debilitating, neurodegenerative conditions that can affect quality of life and independence. Having social workers in our clinic has helped patients and families cope with such a big challenge, and transformed the care that we provide.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Learn more about the Parkinson\u2019s Disease and Movement Disorders Center at UConn Health.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Learn more about the Parkinson\u2019s disease patient support group at UConn Health.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

To learn more about the Parkinson\u2019s disease caregiver support group at UConn Health, email <\/em>parkinsons@uchc.edu<\/em><\/a> or call <\/em>860-679-3224<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ping pong shown to benefit motor function; social work, as a component of Parkinson\u2019s disease care, emphasizes importance of socialization and community resources<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":111,"featured_media":201201,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1715,2193,2231,2288,2235,179],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[2010],"class_list":["post-201199","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community-impact","category-hartford-county","category-health-well-being","category-neurology","category-today-homepage","category-uconn-health"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-23 11:55:52","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201199","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/111"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=201199"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201199\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":201533,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201199\/revisions\/201533"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/201201"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=201199"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=201199"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=201199"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=201199"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=201199"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}