Wellness in motion: CARE Fund program highlights 

Unlocking Movement: Your Guide to Managing Freezing of Gait in Parkinson’s  

Provided by: Neurology Rehab  

Unlocking Movement: Your Guide to Managing Freezing of Gait in Parkinson’s is an online program that provides access to pre-recorded video lessons featuring expert-led education and demonstrations of evidence-based strategies to manage freezing episodes. Designed for both individuals experiencing freezing and their care partners, the program delivers practical guidance and proven techniques to enhance confidence, mobility, and quality of life. 

Haseel Bhatt, MScPT, MSc; Movement Disorders Physiotherapist; Founder, Neurology Rehab 

Haseel is an Adjunct Lecturer at the University of Toronto, a physiotherapist and published researcher with over 15+ years of experience specializing in Parkinson’s care. As the founder of Neurology Rehab, he provides specialized physiotherapy for people living with Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders. With expertise in freezing of gait, Haseel integrates the latest research and evidence-based strategies to help individuals manage symptoms, overcome mobility challenges, and improve their overall quality of life. 

Mindfulness Meditation

Provided by: Living Better with Parkinson’s

Living Better with Parkinson’s 8-week Mindfulness Meditation program guides participants through simple relaxation practices that encourage rest and peace of mind while also building awareness of physical sensations. Sessions include gentle mindful breathing, which research shows can calm the nervous system, steady the heart, and help participants notice how their breath affects the body. Participants will have the opportunity to discover the tone or key that feels most natural and supportive in their own bodies, with heightened awareness of vibration and sound in the chest, throat, and head. They will also be provided with suggested listening to continue these practices on their own.

Tracey Burton, RN; Executive Director, Living Better with Parkinson’s

Tracey is committed to ensuring that programs offering, education, movement, and social connections are available to the Parkinson’s community, and to empowering individuals to take responsibility for their own well-being. As a nurse, she worked in geriatric assessment, orthopaedic surgery, ophthalmology, gynecology, open heart surgery (CV-ICU), neuro ICU, and vascular surgery/teaching. She also has expertise as a fascial stretch and release therapist, and movement repatterning specialist. Combined with learnings from her own health journey, these experiences give Tracey a unique perspective on perseverance, healing, and the importance of care that addresses both body and spirit.

​Jay Robinson was born and raised in Collingwood, ON and is a professional musician with over 30 years of performance and teaching experience. He is a certified Meditation teacher and currently studying Indian classical music and theory for sitar and tabla. Jay is committed to helping others use mindfulness practices to reduce stress, improve sleep, and increase overall well-being by bringing more attention to the body’s natural rhythms. 

Mime + Dance = Synergy  

Provided by: Mime Over Mind 

Following Barbara’s Salsberg Mathews’s Parkinson’s diagnosis in 2020 and with support from Parkinson Canada, she transformed her mime expertise into therapeutic self-study mime videos – available through her Mime Over Mind website and on her YouTube channel – to help people living with Parkinson’s better manage their symptoms. This year, in collaboration with Dancing with Parkinson’s, Barbara has launched Mime + Dance = Synergy. She and her co-facilitator Sarah Martens are now training the next generation of instructors to blend mime and dance to enhance movement for people with Parkinson’s. 

Barbara Salsberg Mathews, BA, BEd, MEd; Artist; Author; Founder, Mime Over Mind 

Barbara graduated from Ontario College of Art, and earned an M.Ed. in Curriculum (OISE). She taught visual and dramatic arts in Toronto high schools for over 25 years. Following her Parkinson’s diagnosis in 2020, Barbara transformed her mime expertise into a therapeutic tool. She now uses mime to help others living with Parkinson’s manage their symptoms. She is also an active member of the Canadian Open Parkinson Network Community Advisory Committee and uses her illustration talents to help raise awareness of Parkinson’s issues, including the crowd-sourced book, What Parkinson’s Feels Like, a collaborative project with Parkinson’s Europe and people with Parkinson’s globally. 

Sarah Martens, a movement and dance instructor, has worked with people with Parkinson’s since 2020. In 2023, she was certified as a Dancing with Parkinson’s (DWP) instructor. Shortly afterwards, she began mentoring with Barbara Salsberg Mathews in the Mime Over Mind approach. Sarah drew upon her experience in working in private and group settings with people with Parkinson’s to help Barbara adapt the therapeutic mime curriculum to include adaptations for those at different stages of Parkinson’s.