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Browse PlansHeather Cianci
PT, MS, GCS
Heather Cianci, PT, MS, GCS, is the outpatient neurological team leader and founding therapist of the Dan Aaron Parkinson's Rehabilitation Center (Penn Therapy & Fitness) at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia, PA--part of the University of Pennsylvania Health System. Heather received her bachelor's in physical therapy from the University of Scranton in Scranton, PA, and her master's in gerontology from Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia. She has been a physical therapist since 1994, and has dedicated her career to individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) and atypical parkinsonisms. Heather is an LSVT(R) BIG-certified clinician, a PWR!-certified clinician, a graduate of the Rock Steady Boxing program for PD, and certified in Music & Memory(R). She serves as an LSVT(R) BIG faculty instructor for LSVT Global, Inc., and co-coordinator and PT faculty for the Parkinson's Foundation's (PF) Allied Team Training Program (ATTP). Heather has authored book chapters on rehabilitative strategies for PD and frontotemporal degeneration and is the author of the PF educational manual Fitness Counts. Heather has lectured for various state physical therapy associations, the former Parkinson's Disease Foundation, the PF, the Michael J. Fox Foundation, national continuing education companies, and Philadelphia-area conferences and support groups. Her research includes movement strategies for bed mobility, falls, freezing of gait, and functional movement disorders. She teaches about rehabilitation and PD at Thomas Jefferson University's (Philadelphia, PA) and Neumann University's (Aston, PA) departments of PT. Heather is a former board member of CurePSP(R) and team member of the COPE program (Comprehensive Outpatient Atypical Parkinsonism Evaluation) at Pennsylvania Hospital's Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorder Center.
Courses with Heather Cianci
Browse Course CatalogStrategic Therapeutic Management of Late-Stage Parkinson's Disease (Recorded Webinar)
Presented by Heather Cianci, PT, MS, GCS
Strategic Therapeutic Management of Late-Stage Parkinson's Disease (Recorded Webinar)
Subscribe now, and access clinical education
and patient education—anytime, anywhere—with video instruction from
recognized industry experts.
Video Runtime: 175 Minutes; Learning Assessment Time: 19 Minutes
This course is a recording of a previously hosted live webinar event. Polling and question submission features are not available for this recording. Format and structure may differ from standard MedBridge courses.
Worldwide, people are living longer. Over the next 30 years the number of people living over the age of 60 is expected to almost double, with those over 85 being the fastest growing segment. While improvements in health care and lifestyles contribute to these numbers, diseases like Parkinson's still make living well a challenge. As the symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD) advance into the later stages, functional mobility, activities of daily living performance, and quality of life all decline. At these stages, pharmaceutical and surgical management are quite limited. This is where the role of therapists and fitness professionals is vital in helping people with PD remain safer and mobile longer. Late stage does not mean it is too late for treatment.
This webinar will equip clinicians with the strategies and the specifics of working with individuals with late-stage Parkinson's disease. It will cover the challenges of providing care for advancing disease, proper evaluation methods, outcome measurement tools, goal setting, treatment options, and collaborating with care partners to improve overall delivery of care to individuals with late-stage Parkinson's disease.
This course is a recording of a previously hosted live webinar event. Polling and question submission features are not available for this recording. Format and structure may differ from standard MedBridge courses.
Worldwide, people are living longer. Over the next 30 years the number of people living over the age of 60 is expected to almost double, with those over 85 being the fastest growing segment. While improvements in health care and lifestyles contribute to these numbers, diseases like Parkinson's still make living well a challenge. As the symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD) advance into the later stages, functional mobility, activities of daily living performance, and quality of life all decline. At these stages, pharmaceutical and surgical management are quite limited. This is where the role of therapists and fitness professionals is vital in helping people with PD remain safer and mobile longer. Late stage does not mean it is too late for treatment.
This webinar will equip clinicians with the strategies and the specifics of working with individuals with late-stage Parkinson's disease. It will cover the challenges of providing care for advancing disease, proper evaluation methods, outcome measurement tools, goal setting, treatment options, and collaborating with care partners to improve overall delivery of care to individuals with late-stage Parkinson's disease.
Understanding and Assessing Gait in Parkinson's Disease
Presented by Heather Cianci, PT, MS, GCS
Understanding and Assessing Gait in Parkinson's Disease
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and patient education—anytime, anywhere—with video instruction from
recognized industry experts.
This course will take clinicians through the common gait presentations of individuals with Parkinson's disease, their causes and how to provide a comprehensive assessment and treatment options. Individuals with Parkinson's disease have gait deficits from the time of their diagnosis, and these deficits grow worse and become more challenging to manage with the advancing of the disease. This course will provide an overview of common gait presentations and their underlying causes. Clinicians will learn how to choose the best outcome tool for their patients' needs and then learn about practical, evidence-based options for treatment interventions. Upon completion of this course, clinicians will feel more empowered to help their patients with gait training, no matter the level of impairment.
Training Gait in Parkinson’s Disease: Strategies, Devices, and Guidelines
Presented by Heather Cianci, PT, MS, GCS
Training Gait in Parkinson’s Disease: Strategies, Devices, and Guidelines
Subscribe now, and access clinical education
and patient education—anytime, anywhere—with video instruction from
recognized industry experts.
Individuals with Parkinson's disease have gait deficits from the time of their diagnosis and these deficits grow worse and become more challenging to manage with the advancing of the disease. This course will provide an overview of common gait presentations and their underlying causes. Clinicians will learn how to choose the best outcome tool for their patients' needs and then learn about practical, evidence-based options for treatment interventions. Upon completion of this course, clinicians will feel more empowered to help their patients with gait training, no matter the level of impairment.
Motivating through Movement for Parkinson's: The Challenges of Exercise
Presented by Heather Cianci, PT, MS, GCS
Motivating through Movement for Parkinson's: The Challenges of Exercise
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and patient education—anytime, anywhere—with video instruction from
recognized industry experts.
Have you ever had difficulty getting your patient with Parkinson's disease to stay active and continue with their home exercise program? You are not alone! This course is designed to help you develop creative and practical treatment options to keep your patient motivated. Research on exercise, self-efficacy, and creativity will be presented as well as demonstrations of actual exercise programs and techniques that you can use.
Motivating Through Movement for Parkinson's: Exercise and Group Options
Presented by Heather Cianci, PT, MS, GCS
Motivating Through Movement for Parkinson's: Exercise and Group Options
Subscribe now, and access clinical education
and patient education—anytime, anywhere—with video instruction from
recognized industry experts.
This course is designed to help you develop creative and practical exercise options for your patient to perform at home or as a member of your group exercise class. Research on exercise and creativity will be presented as well as demonstrations of actual exercise programs and techniques that you can use. Information on how to develop, lead, and manage a group exercise program will also be presented.
Thinking Outside of the Box: Using Creativity in Treating Individuals with Parkinson’s Disease (Recorded Webinar)
Presented by Heather Cianci, PT, MS, GCS
Thinking Outside of the Box: Using Creativity in Treating Individuals with Parkinson’s Disease (Recorded Webinar)
Subscribe now, and access clinical education
and patient education—anytime, anywhere—with video instruction from
recognized industry experts.
This course is a recording of a previously hosted live webinar event. Polling and question submission features are not available for this recording. Format and structure may differ from standard MedBridge courses. This course will educate therapists in how to use current evidence-based, creative strategies for managing their patients' mobility and exercise needs. Beginning with an overview of Parkinson's symptoms, both motor and non-motor, the user will walk through the literature and evidence-based treatment strategies to address the motor, sensory, and cognitive mechanisms that lead to mobility challenges. After completing this course, the therapist will be able to both describe and apply the principles of neuroplasticity and the role of exercise in patients with Parkinson's by incorporating Parkinson-specific exercise programs and utilizing creative strategies for 1:1 treatment sessions on mobility.
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Sign Up for FreeWebinars with Heather Cianci
Mar 10, 2020
Strategic Therapeutic Management of Late Stage Parkinson's Disease
Presented by Heather Cianci
No Recording Available
Feb 9, 2017
Thinking Outside of the Box: Using Creativity in Treating Individuals with Parkinson’s Disease
Presented by Heather Cianci
No Recording Available
