Once a week throughout the academic school year, people living with Parkinson’s disease (PwPD) in Peterborough and Peterborough County gather at the Trent Athletic Centre for an afternoon of free exercise and social connection. Launched in Fall 2021, On the Move! has delivered a research-backed exercise program to more than 60 participants—seniors and some as young as 24—while providing students with a unique placement and research-training opportunity. 

The program rotates through three styles of exercise classes—spin classes, dance aerobics, and boxing bootcamp—which help participants safely exercise at a higher intensity. Students’ program evaluation studies consistently show that, despite facing a degenerative disease, participants’ endurance, strength, and balance are maintained through the exercises that test their range of motion and multi-joint movements that help train coordination, attention, and memory. 

Dr. Liana Brown, associate professor of Psychology and Kinesiology at Trent University who developed On the Move!, says the participants report feeling more energized, accomplished and motivated.  

“We make the program as fun as possible for our participants,” said Professor Brown. “Choosing upbeat music and fun activities helps participants work hard and want to come back every week.” 

A community-driven, student-led program

As part of the program, Trent undergraduate students translate research on exercise in PwPD into workout sessions and assess the effectiveness. 

“The students learn about Parkinson’s in detail, how to read and evaluate research on exercise in PwPD, and how to engage with older persons in a caring and professional manner,” says Prof. Brown. “The program is attractive to students because they get to practise client contact skills, put assignments into action, and receive immediate feedback.” 

Intergenerational connections inspiring career trajectories

Prof. Brown says experiences like On the Move! improve the chance that students will go on to learn more about Parkinson’s as researchers or clinicians. Former On the Move! practicum student and Biomedical Science graduate Lexie Northey is now pursuing graduate studies in molecular and cellular biology with a specialization in neuroscience. 

“Before being a part of this program, I knew relatively little about Parkinson’s,” says Lexie. “I met amazing people, and it genuinely brought me so much joy seeing the seniors every week. Getting to know their life stories and seeing them show up every week to fight for their health really put things into perspective. It helped me narrow my focus to pursue a career in Parkinson’s research.” 
 
Lexie’s graduate research is focused on how exercise-related changes in inflammation affect the blood-brain barrier and neuronal health in Parkinson’s disease, and is supported by  scholarships from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) and the Parkinson Society of Southwestern Ontario.  

“I am very proud that our program acts as a pipeline to draw new students into studying and treating Parkinson’s,” says Prof. Brown. “The more people we have pushing research of this disease forward with their interest and passion, the more opportunities there will be to make life easier for PwPD and to find a cure.” 
 
Learn more about Kinesiology, Biomedical Science and Psychology at Trent and the On the Move! program.