A well-lit home, equipped with grab bars and without electrical wires on the floor – or other obstacles in the way – is among the many practical tips on how to make environments more pleasant and functional for people with Parkinson's Disease, a population estimated at around 200,000 people in Brazil alone, according to the Ministry of Health.

The subject was discussed this Monday (19) in the first virtual edition of Educa Parkinson, a project by the Santos Dumont Institute (ISD) that promotes free discussion groups since 2018 about quality of life and how to deal with the disease.

The meeting, which sought to answer the question “How can neuroarchitecture help people with Parkinson’s Disease?”, marked the launch of the project’s new format, 100% online, in a context in which in-person meetings at the Institute remain suspended due to the pandemic. 

The approach to the debut theme was with neuroarchitect and guest speaker, Rafaela Lopes. 

In just over an hour, she presented neuroarchitecture options to help prevent domestic accidents and also make days at home lighter during the pandemic, with ideas that include everything from having plants and other natural elements in the environment, to the possibility of larger windows to encourage air circulation.

The benefits of neuroarchitecture

According to the neuroarchitect, Environments are like anchors for memory and can stimulate sensory perception. “Neuroarchitecture applies neuroscience principles to architecture and studies how we react to built environments, how this positively or negatively impacts the people who circulate in them. Architectural projects are always made in a personalized way and in the case of people with Parkinson's it is no different, there are several adaptations that can make the home safer and more pleasant for this patient”, he explains. 

But how can this be applied at home? According to the expert, many of the tips are aimed at preventing accidents. “The first step is to keep the environment always lit, whether with natural or artificial light, to avoid accidents or injuries. Avoid placing electrical wires on the floor, remove furniture and small objects from the path, and make it easier to reach lamps to prevent the person from walking in the dark for too long. These are some things that help a lot to avoid accidents or injuries that can happen frequently in people with Parkinson's because they have a loss of body balance,” said the neuroarchitect. 

Other guidelines were discussed during the meeting, such as the insertion of a handrail in case there are stairs or steps in the house and the inclusion of tape on the floor to be used as a stimulus and visual guide when walking. 

Stimulating the senses is also one of the pillars of neuroarchitecture, says Rafaela. Alternatives such as the introduction of techniques like biophilia and aromatherapy are part of this aspect and were passed on to the participants of Educa Parkinson this Monday (19). 

“Biophilia is nothing more than encouraging contact with nature. It is a technique that reduces stress, improves concentration and learning, and stimulates creativity. Plants bring life to the environment and purify the air, which is why we always recommend introducing these natural elements into the home,” he says. “Aromatherapy, which uses the sense of smell in a therapeutic way, stimulates various parts of the brain using essential oils, such as rosemary, which relieves mental fatigue, copaiba, which is one of the best for relieving tremors, and lavender, which reduces anxiety and can help improve sleep quality,” he adds.  

Online meeting 

Educa Parkinson's virtual meetings will always have as their central axis “The Person with Parkinson's at home: making this moment lighter and more functional” and will now take place monthly, always on Mondays, on dates and with registration links that will be previously disclosed by the Institute. The project activities are open to all those interested in the topic, whether they are health professionals, researchers, students, family members or patients diagnosed with Parkinson's. 

This Monday, Around 40 people participated, most of them users of the ISD Parkinson's Clinic. Students from the Multiprofessional Residency in Health Care for People with Disabilities and multiprofessional preceptors from the Institute, as well as architecture professionals, also participated.

“Educa Parkinson is a discussion group open to everyone, which used to take place in person but was suspended due to the pandemic. This year we decided to resume the project, which was previously held in person, in allusion to Parkinson's Awareness Month, so that despite this physical distance, we can continue to provide information, share experiences and build knowledge”, says ISD neuropsychologist, Joisa Araújo. 

Josileide Araújo, one of the participants in the virtual meeting, says that the project’s in-person activities always helped her father-in-law, João Batista, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. “It was a meeting that always made him feel calm and less distressed. He loved it because it brought together several other people of the same age and with the same problem. We really hope that this pandemic ends so that we can see each other in person again,” she said during the online meeting.

Click below to access a video on ISD's Instagram profile with images of the live version of the project.

Parkinson's Clinic 

Around 50 patients per month are treated at the Parkinson's clinic at ISD, in Macaíba (RN), exclusively through the SUS. The disease is also the focus of research carried out at the Institution's units, Center for Health Education and Research Anita Garibaldi (Anita) and the International Institute of Neurosciences Edmond and Lily Safra.

Parkinson's disease is considered the second most common progressive neurodegenerative disease in the world, second only to Alzheimer's, according to the Ministry of Health. 

It affects body movements and can include, for example, slow movements, tremors, muscle stiffness, imbalance and speech changes. The disease can also cause decreased sense of smell, constipation, neurogenic bladder, cognitive changes and depression. According to the World Health Organization, 11% of the population over 65 years of age has the disease and the onset of motor symptoms usually occurs around the age of 60.