Building with Legos found to help US veterans with Parkinson’s
Novel tool in therapeutic regimen aids motor skills, community building
A group of U.S. veterans with Parkinson’s disease has added a novel tool to their therapeutic regimen: building with Legos.
For about a year, the group, based out of the Central Virginia Veterans Affairs (VA) Health Care System, has been building Lego creations to exercise their motor skills and engage with others who also served in the country’s military.
The sessions were launched by Jessica Kaplan, a VA clinical nurse coordinator, who noted in a news story from the VA that the veterans in the program have overwhelmingly given it positive feedback.
“The one thing I hear again and again is that they like this because it’s hard,” Kaplan said, of the group’s efforts — right now, building an outdoor recreation scene with Legos.
“Building a set or creating a new scene gives a sense of accomplishment that Parkinson’s disease can rob them of in other areas of their life,” Kaplan said. “It’s not only good for their motor skills, but it keeps people engaged and social. It’s really special to see.”
The program has helped build a sense of community, per Kaplan.
One veteran calls building with Legos ‘therapeutic and meditative’
Parkinson’s is a neurodegenerative disease that can cause a variety of motor and nonmotor symptoms, including loss of control over fine movements. Medications and physical therapy may help people with Parkinson’s regain some of this lost function.
However, working with tools and heavy machinery can be difficult or dangerous for people with Parkinson’s — which kept many in the VA group from participating in the activities they enjoyed, Kaplan noted.
When Kaplan asked patients about their hobbies, “many of them said that they really missed working on their car or woodworking or just tinkering with things in their garage.”
“It’s like their light had gone out, seeing these veterans without their passion projects,” Kaplan said. “We are working to give that light back to them.”
Kaplan came up with Legos as a safe alternative activity to help her patients satisfy their desire to tinker and create.
It’s awesome that I have found something that brings me joy, something to do safely, something to look forward to, and a sense of fulfillment. … [A session building with Legos] allows me to talk with others with similar disabilities that share the same interest, versus watching TV 24/7.
The group meets virtually, but they are collaborating on the outdoor recreation scene, which they hope to take to an upcoming BrickFair — a Lego fan convention and exposition.
Each participant is contributing a mini-figurine representing themselves, and some plan to go to a BrickFair to display their work, according to the release.
“It’s awesome that I have found something that brings me joy, something to do safely, something to look forward to, and a sense of fulfillment,” said one participant. “It allows me to talk with others with similar disabilities that share the same interest, versus watching TV 24/7.”
Another veteran said the group provides “a unique and engaging way to express creativity, relax, and achieve a sense of accomplishment. Building with bricks has been very therapeutic and meditative, allowing me to focus on the present moment and unwind.”
According to the news story, the VA serves approximately 110,000 veterans with Parkinson’s across the U.S.
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