An Ogden nurse is looking for local sufferers of Multiple Sclerosis or Parkinson's disease, to try out her new "adaptive yoga" program that she can now officially start after winning a prestigious award.
Mindy Robert, a nurse practitioner at Ogden Clinic of Neurology and Sleep, is one of 10 recipients of the 2020 Nightingale Grant, honoring significant achievements in MS nursing.
Robert will use her Nightingale Grant to offer adaptive yoga training to current yoga instructors who will be compensated for conducting the program, along with the purchase of any needed supplies. Additionally, she is partnering with Intermountain Healthcare (IHC) and Ogden Clinic Neurology and Sleep for a pilot program offered to the community. If the pilot program prove successful, IHC has expressed interest to continue offering adaptive yoga as a much-needed program in the community.
Robert was inspired to organize the adaptive yoga pilot after attending the Yoga Moves MS adaptive yoga teacher training with Mindy Eisenberg near Detroit, MI.
"Ms. Eisenberg and her non-profit organization have built a fantastic program for persons affected by MS," Robert says. "During the training, we had the opportunity to see classes conducted with participants suffering from MS, and their stories were remarkable. One young participant told us how her aggressive form of MS kept her hospital-bound for several months, where she experienced difficulty walking and speaking. Now, a few years later, she is thrilled to be participating and thriving in the Yoga Moves MS program. Her story was so inspiring. I would love to see something as substantial as the Yoga Moves MS program take root in Ogden, Utah."
For now, her upcoming 8-week program will take place online, but she hopes in-person classes will start soon. She says folks 18-75 years of age who have MS or Parkinson's disease should apply.
Not only will they experience the many benefits of yoga as a complementary therapy to Western medicine, but they can try it in the comfort of their own home, with a professional guiding them online.
Robert says, "For so many years, there weren't many options available to reduce the impacts of MS, and it's refreshing to be able to educate and counsel patients that there are numerous excellent treatment options and therapies available now. MS patients can stay more active and independent than ever before. And by opening and offering more opportunities such as adaptive activities, they can get out and enjoy the things they want to do."
If you'd like to see if you're eligible to join this program, email Mindy at ogdenadaptiveyoga@gmail.com.
Mindy would like to thank the following organizations for funding the Nightingale Award:
The International Organization of Multiple Sclerosis Nurses (IOMSN)is the first and only international organization focusing solely on the needs and goals of professional nurses, anywhere in the world, who care for people with multiple sclerosis. Mentoring, educating, networking, sharing–IOMSN supports nurses in their continuing effort to offer hope.
EMD Serono – the biopharmaceutical division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, in the U.S. and Canada – is engaged in the discovery, research and development of medicines for patients with difficult to treat diseases. The business is committed to transforming lives by developing and delivering meaningful solutions that help address the therapeutic and support needs of individual patients. Building on a proven legacy and deep expertise in neurology, fertility and endocrinology, EMD Serono is developing potential new oncology and immuno-oncology medicines while continuing to explore potential therapeutic options for diseases such as psoriasis, lupus and multiple sclerosis. Today, the business has approximately 1,300 employees around the country with commercial, clinical and research operations based in the company's home state of Massachusetts.
