22
NEIGHBORS
SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | MARCH 13, 2022
Neighbors
Scottsdale.org l
/ScottsdaleProgress
@ScottsdaleProgress
Scottsdale horse program helps patients with ALS BY ALEX GALLAGHER Progress Staff Writer
F
or patients who suffer from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis – also referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease or ALS –a sense of normalcy is elusive. However, Hunkapi Programs is doing its best to restore the feeling with its new equine therapy program devoted to patients with ALS. “This is the first ever three-year research program that has been supported by the Gila River Indian Community,” said Hunkapi Programs Executive Director Terra Schaad. “It’s really exciting with our program because we also got to partner with the Mayo Clinic and its ALS research department to research the overall well-being of patients with ALS through therapeutic riding.” “The ALS lead researcher at Mayo Clinic came to us six years ago and he felt that horses could help improve the overall sense of well-being for his patients,” Schaad recalled.
Doug Clough rides Hope the draft horse around the arena with spotters, from left, Tina Kovalik, Carolyn Goldfarb and Ted Miller during an equine therapy riding session for people with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Saturday, March 5, 2022, in Scottsdale, Arizona. (David Minton/Staff Photographer)
She loved the idea and began to look for funding but it was not until last year that the money came through.
“We’ve had somewhat of a long-term relationship with Gila River but it wasn’t until last year where we felt it was the
time to request the funding for this program from them,” she said, referring to the Gila River Indian Community. The ALS Association Arizona Chapter also wanted to help the program. “We got involved about four years ago because one of our staff members is a recreational therapist and she wanted to do adaptive events for our families,” said Amber Montanez, care program services manager with the ALS Association Arizona chapter. “She loved horses herself and so we reached out to Hunkapi Programs to see if this would even be possible,” Montanez explained. “Once they said it was possible, we knew we wanted to come back over and over.” The next step was to figure out how to make horse riding accessible to people whose balance, muscles and ability to move have been so significantly impacted by the disease. “We have to take their level of mobility into consideration somewhat, although
see HUNKAPI page 24
Fitness studio aids Down syndrome youths
BY ALEX GALLAGHER Progress Staff Writer
S
taying fit can be hard – especially if someone looks and functions differently from every other person in a typical gym. Because of this, GiGi’s Playhouse, an achievement center for individuals with Down syndrome, saw the need for a space where clients could comfortably work out. With that came the GiGiFIT program, which quickly became a hit and something that provided greater aid than GiGi’s Playhouse realized.
Lexi Robertson and Sam Hohs use rubber balls in place of weights during their GiGiFIT workout at GiGi’s Playhouse. (David Minton/Progress Staff Photographer)
“100% of people who have Down syndrome will have Alzheimer’s disease,” said GiGi’s Playhouse Phoenix’s Executive Director Robin Lea-Amos. “There’s been a lot of cross research about a person with early onset Alzheimer’s disease getting exercise and how that helps them, so it only makes sense.” Not only does exercise help deter the onset of Alzheimer’s, but it also helps participants increase their cognitive abilities. “We have done a lot of research on the correlation between cognitive abil-
see GIGI'S page 23
