The healing power of movement

On Thursday evenings Mount Pleasant near the Commission on Aging, you may hear the noises of people stomping, laughing, clapping or people working hard. What you're hearing is the MOVE! For Health Class. Here, Central Michigan University students lead a movement and exercise class for community members with Parkinson's Disease, other neurological disorders or those who just want to move more. 

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* Photo gallery: Movement is medicine: Move! For Health class *  
* Video: The healing of movement * 

MOVE! is run entirely by second-year physical therapy doctoral students and physical therapy assistant professor Dr. Jamie Haines. Other physical therapy students may volunteer but not lead the sessions, and anyone in the Mid-Michigan community is welcome to join. 

The MOVE! For Health board is composed of eight second-year doctoral physical therapy students at CMU. Board members have separate responsibilities based on their exact title, but each of them sets up and cleans up the class, attends each class and plans each class. 

Haines said starting the class was difficult since it was a new thing for her. Creating the class included mentoring several students, developing plans and recruiting volunteers.

Now that the class has been going for years, the old student leaders mentor and teach the new student leaders to make the transitions each year smoother. Haines described it as a wheel turning.

"It's really been a joy to watch not only students develop technical skills and clinical skills, but also leadership skills and mentorship skills between the classes," Haines said.

Central Michigan University second-year physical therapy doctoral student and MOVE! volunteer coordinator Megan Lasceski said each February, the new MOVE! board is interviewed and seated for the following fall. Lasceski and the current board will move to their clinicals for their third year to get real-world experience in their chosen fields. 

Although MOVE! originally started only for individuals with Parkinson's Disease, it has since opened up to anyone.

"Movement is beneficial for everyone, we just have to be more careful with individuals who have Multiple Sclerosis," Lasceski said.

Each MOVE! board member is assigned to one high-fall-risk participant in the class. Lasceski's participant, Jen, has Multiple Sclerosis.

“One of the biggest things she has taught me has been her perseverance," Lasceski said. "She is one of the most kind and positive people you'll ever meet."

The CMU students who are part of the MOVE! board frequently talk about how much they have learned from one another, as well as the participants. 

Nolan Coon is a second-year physical therapy doctoral student and MOVE! participant expert. Coon works with MOVE! participant Jamie, who had a stroke.

“They’re some of the most motivated people I’ve ever met and their mentality is so strong,” Coon said. “It has been a blessing to work with those people." 

Coon said working with his participant has helped him manage his stress while working at MOVE!. He said Jamie has made him a better clinician. 

The MOVE! board said they have learned several things from this class, but they haven't always been from  positive experiences. 

Julian Tenerife, a CMU second-year physical therapy doctoral student and MOVE! participant outreach coordinator, shared an experience he had with a high-fall-risk participant. Tenerife was with a participant, and he lost his balance and would have fallen had Julian not been there intensely guarding him.

“That scare and that shock,” Tenerife said. “That type of stuff puts into perspective, no matter how safe you are, you really aren’t prepared until you get in that scenario."

Getting Recognized

Despite being around for almost eight years, MOVE! For Health has not gotten much public recognition. Dr. Haines said a news team came once for a few minutes when the class was first created, but that was it.

This changed on Thursday, March 20, 2025, when the 16th President of Central Michigan University Neil MacKinnon visited their class. 

"It reminds me of all the hard work you do, and all the students do," Haines said to the MOVE! class when MacKinnon came. "I'm just so proud."

MacKinnon has a background in health and fitness through his Ph.D in pharmacy health care administration, so the MOVE! board thought he would be a good person to come to the class and enjoy it. 

Tenerife was the person behind getting MacKinnon to come to class. He and MOVE! high intensity exercise specialist Jarred Kleitch were at the Student Activity Center playing pickleball at the same time as MacKinnon.

"We started talking to him and in that instance, it felt like it was the perfect opportunity to ask him," Tenerife said. "He was on board with it."

Tenerife and MacKinnon coordinated the visit. MacKinnon talked to the participants and MOVE! board while there, and participated in some of the warm-up and activities.

"For him to come see everything that we're about is a lot and it looked like he had a lot of fun." Tenerife said. "It meant the whole world to me and the whole MOVE! board."

Origins of MOVE! For Health

In the fall of 2017, Dr. Haines created a class for people with Parkinson's Disease to have an opportunity to exercise and move their bodies in a fun and safe way. 

MOVE! For Health was held every Thursday from 4 to 5 p.m. during the spring semester. According to Haines, the date and time vary each semester based on students' availability.

Haines said this class was an opportunity for both people with Parkinson's Disease and similar neurological disorders to move and exercise, as well as for Central Michigan University physical therapy students to have real-world experience. 

The physical therapy program at CMU offers hands-on experience for students to learn, teach and prepare for their future careers. Room 1031 in the Health Professions Building, often called the 'neurology room' by P.T. students and staff, is a lab used for students to develop their skills and store objects for the MOVE! class.  

"This lab is used to teach students how to help mobilize people in fundamentals of P.T. class and is also used for the neurologic interventions class, where students learn to help people regain or improve function," Haines said. "They learn about interventions for Parkinson's Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, brain injury, stroke, ALS and those with vestibular dysfunctions." 

The objects stored there are used for the weekly MOVE! classes. Coon said the students plan out exercises and activities for the participants to do each week. They come up with different activities that challenge different areas relating to Parkinson's to keep the class unique and helpful.

Haines said the class is open to P.T. students to work on their skills and further their education outside of college. Haines said the MOVE! For Health class is purely voluntary, and students do not get any pay or credits out of it.

“So, students who want to be there are there and students who want to learn are there,” Haines said. "The students are dedicated.”

MOVE!R challenges chair Megan Lasceski said to become a MOVE! leader, she had to submit a written application and get interviewed by the previous board members. Lasceski and the other board members interviewed the incoming board members in February. They will start in the fall 2025 semester when the current board is on clinicals. 

The Proximity

Coon talked about how there are not many exercise or movement classes for people with neurological disorders in Isabella County or the mid-Michigan area. Coon said the nearest Parkinson's-related movement class is in Midland, and called Rock Steady Boxing Greater Midland program. 

The MOVE! For Health class has participants come from all over the mid-Michigan area. Coon said they have even had people drive from Lansing to come to the class. 

The class is an opportunity for participants to learn new exercises and to just move in general through a safe and friendly environment. CMU student Allison Summers said they take precautions for the class to make it as safe as possible.

"Most of the exercises we do are things the participants cannot do at home due to safety issues, so the class challenges them to physically work in ways they aren’t used to in their daily lives," Summers said.

The Commission on Aging for Isabella County in Michigan is a place for older adults to build a sense of community and come together for events, meals, classes and more. The MOVE! class is just one aspect of this location.

Nobody is the same

Although there are people with other neurological disorders who attend the MOVE! class, a majority of the participants have been diagnosed with Parkinson's.

One MOVE! participant, Linda Jensen, said Parkinson's is not one set thing or look. 

“It’s not something you can be sure you have; that was something I did not realize before,” Jensen said. “Parkinson’s is many things to many different people, it affects people differently.”

A common theme among people with Parkinson's is that it was extremely difficult to diagnose. 

“The doctor kept telling me it was a rotator cuff problem; it took him three years to send me to a neurologist," MOVE! participant Al Buckland said. “It’s been a relief that I got it [Parkinson’s Disease], now I know how to deal with it.”

MOVE! participant Maggie Foote talked about what she sees at the MOVE! class.

“It’s different with everybody,” she said. “Nobody’s the same, we’re all there doing our thing.”

Foote shared the harsh reality of Parkinson's and how having a community is important.

“Parkinson’s is just scary," Foote said. "I used to feel like I was alone.”

Because of this class, people like Jensen, Buckland and Foote said they have had positive outcomes, decreased some of their symptoms and found a community at the Commission on Aging.

“I find I have more energy and I feel better,” Jensen said. "CMU students have been extremely helpful and positive.” 

“There’s a lot of camaraderie between the patients that are here," Buckland said.

“It’s made me much stronger and much more friendly,” Foote said. 

The Benefits of Exercise

According to the Parkinson's Foundation, exercise is important for everyone, but for people with neurological disorders, especially Parkinson's Disease, it is medicine. Research has shown that exercise has a positive effect on the brain and can slow the progression of the symptoms. In addition, it is a way to be engaged with and be surrounded by people who are living with something similar. 

Exercise can be something that is intimidating, but something is better than nothing. MOVE! takes exercise and creates plans for all different levels of activities that participants are capable of and comfortable with doing. 

"It is an opportunity for them to remain active in a setting that is safe for them to push themselves," Summers said. "Exercise is so important for individuals with progressive neurological conditions, and this is an outlet for them to feel supported throughout their journey and keep them active."

The MOVE! board works each week to change the exercises to adapt to the participants' needs. Lasceski said the board meets on Wednesdays before each class to organize exercises. The team looks at the participants' symptoms and how they have been progressing to determine exercises and equipment needed for that week. 

“We get to create quality exercise for our participants," Lasceski said.