According to the National Parkinson Foundation, Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s, affecting about 1 million Americans and an estimated 4 million people around the world.
Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.fastcocreate.com
In 2002, New York-based Mark Morris Dance Group (MMDG) launched its Dance for Parkinson’s Disease program, based on the concept that the movement and training used by professional dancers to build balance, power and coordination could also help Parkinson’s sufferers.
Last year, seeing the potential of wearable technology, program director David Leventhal applied for and was awarded one of Google’s five Explorer grants for non-profit organizations to develop applications for the Glass platform.
The group teamed up with ad agency ad SS+K to help design, develop, and launch Moving Through Glass, an augmented reality app created to provide 24/7 aid for people with Parkinson’s that’s now available to the public.
Kevin Skobac, SVP, digital strategy and innovation at SS+K says people living with Parkinson’s were invited to review and test the project at various development stages, while researchers from New York Presbyterian/Weill-Cornell Medical Center, and Stanford University’s Movement Disorders Center are advising on, and testing the app.
Parkinson’s Disease is a movement disorder affecting nerve cells and one of the most common symptoms is having difficulty initiating movement. The app features warm-up routines to get people get moving.
A walking guide uses video and music to set a pace, to help with the tremors and jerky movements common with Parkinson’s that can make walking difficult. Parkinson’s sufferers can also become "stuck" in the middle of a movement and have difficulty re-initiating movement, so the app provides standing routines that gradually get users out of a freeze and back to walking.
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