LSVT BIG Chief Clinical Officer Laura Gusè, spoke on LSVT BIG at the 3rd Annual Conference of the Saudi Physical Therapy Association (SPTA) in Riyadh, on September 6-8, 2019. Ms. Gusè presented a half-day workshop titled “Amplitude-based Therapies for Parkinson Disease (PD): How and Why They Work“ and a key note speech “The Science and Practice of LSVT BIG: Physical and Occupational Therapy for Parkinson Disease”.
According to SPTA president. Dr. Ali Albaratti, this third annual conference was the largest ever, drawing over 1,300 physical therapists from Saudi Arabia and neighboring countries.
Read on to learn more about this exciting conference and LSVT Global’s contribution.
During her visit, Ms. Gusè had the honor of meeting with Dr. Albaratti, President of the SPTA and Associate Professor at King Saud University; Dr. Dalal Ghouth, LSVT BIG Certified Physical Therapist; Dr. Mishal Aldaihan, Head of the Saudi Neurological Physical Therapy Group and Assistant Professor at King Saud University; Dr. Khaled Alobathani, Head of the Physical Therapy Department at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre; and Mr. Adnan Al Eisa, Executive Manager of the Saudi Parkinson Society.
In addition, Ms. Gusè recounted that “The hospitality they provided to me and the other speakers was outstanding. The conference was well-organized, and the presentations were top notch. It was exciting to see such enthusiasm for learning and connecting with others in this only third annual conference.”
LSVT Global hopes to return to Riyadh in 2020 to hold both LSVT BIG and LSVT LOUD Training and Certification Courses with the partnership of the SPTA, the Saudi Parkinson Society and King Faisal Hospital. There is a great need for current, evidence-based therapy for people with PD in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Only a handful of LSVT Certified Clinicians practice in this large county with thousands of citizens living with PD. We are excited to increase the accessibility to the evidence-based LSVT programs in Saudi Arabia.
