How Shore Helps Mike Manage Parkinson’s, One Step at a Time

With your support, Shore is helping patients like Mike live stronger with Parkinson's.

"What do you call a bear with no teeth?"

Mike P. of Egg Harbor Township asks the question with a grin, looking to his physical therapist, Joe Farrell, DPT, for an answer. He gives Joe a second to guess, then delivers the punchline. "A gummy bear!"

At 78, Mike has been through more than his fair share: chronic pain, multiple back and eye surgeries, and most recently, a life-changing Parkinson's diagnosis. But no matter the obstacle, he shows up every Tuesday to Shore Medical Center's outpatient physical therapy clinic with determination, gratitude - and a brand-new dad joke.

Mike's Parkinson's diagnosis came in September 2024 after undergoing a DaTscan in Shore's Nuclear Medicine department - a specialized imaging test that confirms the disease. Shore is the only facility in our region offering this important diagnostic service, because it's the right thing to do for our patients. And thanks to your support, we can continue to provide critical services like this, even when they're not widely available elsewhere.

Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurological condition that affects movement, causing tremors, stiffness, and balance issues. Before starting physical therapy at Shore, Mike experienced two pretty bad falls.

"I fell in the shower and got a nice bump on my head," he said. "Then I fell in the garage and really hurt my elbow."

Six months into therapy with Joe, things have changed.

"When I started, they had to hold me up with a strap just to exercise," Mike says. "But now, I'm climbing steps, my balance is better, and I haven't fallen once since starting therapy. I don't even use my cane when I'm at home."

Joe leads Mike through exercises that target the three key areas most impacted by Parkinson's:

• Balance and gait training to improve stability
• Strength and flexibility exercises to maintain muscle tone and joint mobility
• Coordination training to support smoother, more controlled movement

Joe is more than just a therapist. He spent an entire year in PT school studying how to help people with Parkinson's maintain mobility and quality of life, but he also has personal experience - his grandfather lived with the disease for 12 years.

"Mike and I just clicked right away," Joe said. "After a few sessions, we knew we worked well together. It's become a great relationship."

One of the biggest challenges people with Parkinson's face is freezing, when the body suddenly stops responding mid-movement. Joe says overcoming it is just as much mental as physical.

"It's less about balance at first and more about building confidence," he explained. "If someone freezes, they need to know they're okay and how to move through it. Teaching those techniques and helping them feel in control makes all the difference."\

Mike has found that control - and confidence - thanks to Joe and the team at Shore. Though he no longer drives, his wife of nearly 55 years makes sure he gets to every appointment. "She drives me crazy and keeps me going," Mike said with a smile. "I wouldn't be here without her."

He also draws strength from the people he sees each week in the clinic. "It reminds me I'm not the only one going through something," he said. "And that helps keep me grateful."

Thanks to your support, Shore can continue to provide this level of personalized, expert care for people like Mike. You help us offer services and therapies that truly change lives - not because they're easy, but because they're needed.

And you help make room for joy, too.

"What has four wheels and flies?" Mike asks with a grin on his way out of therapy. "A garbage truck!"

Thank you for being part of Mike's story - and so many others.