Ray wants people to know about the CHOICE Programs

Ray and staff warming up.

“I told my own doctor, you need to tell people to go to CHOICE,” says Ray Clement, an 80-year-old client living with Stage 2 Parkinson’s disease. 

Ray joined CHOICE South in October 2025. Before starting, he began to feel depressed, both from his diagnosis and from his symptoms. 

“When the cognitive issues started, I started losing my confidence,” said Ray. “I couldn’t read anymore, I couldn’t remember.” 

Then Ray started at CHOICE South, a short-term, intensive rehab program for community living adults who are medically stable but still have functional goals to achieve. The program works with clients, not around them, and expects them to take an active role in their own rehab.  

“After three weeks to a month, I felt the difference.” Ray stated. His confidence came back and he wanted to be there. He now attends physiotherapy twice weekly and occupational therapy once weekly, with goals focused on improving endurance, balance, lower-body strength, and overall function for daily living. 

Ray using a squat rack.

CHOICE South participants have a functional goal that works toward independent living. The program provides treatment from interdisciplinary health care team from physiotherapy, occupational therapy, recreation therapy, social work, nursing assessment, health and wellness education, and case management to coordinate care and to help access support when needed. 

“We have the same work ethic to keep you in the centre of the bubble,” says Kousik, Ray’s physiotherapist at CHOICE South. “We give the services to bridge your doctor, pharmacy, rehab team, rec therapy, nursing. Everybody works, keeping the client in the centre, to build the tower of your development.  

A lot of it is education. Kousik explains that clients are taught about optimizing health, fueling the body, maintaining good nutrition and hydration, and the importance of stimulating muscles through exercise and recovery.  

“I wasn’t doing the proper exercise. I was overdoing it. Doing it all day long, seven days a week. I was always tired, and one of the symptoms is fatigue,” Ray said. 

With Parkinson’s, the muscle is always firing because of the tremor, so the goal is to bring a bigger movement and then allow the body to recover. 

Ray realized that even though he was trying to make improvements at home, Kousik’s guidance taught him how to do the exercise that most benefited him, and the importance of rest, especially with a Parkinson’s diagnosis.  

He has taken that guidance to heart. “They weren’t easy on me. They got me to do stuff I wasn’t normally doing... Don’t overdo it, don’t overdo it. Do it properly.”  

CHOICE is more than a rehabilitation program, it is a lifeline for seniors determined to keep living independently in the homes and communities they love.  

Ray and staff doing some tai chi movements.

The program also offers overnight stays for short-term illness treatment and respite care, giving family caregivers a much-needed break while knowing their loved one is in caring hands.  

Ray knows that there’s no cure, but the fear he felt watching people with Parkinson’s worsen is dissipating. With the improvement he has felt, he is motivated to keep going. He has started getting better at memory, he can read pages now, and he also sleeps better.  

The biggest worry for Ray has been his sleep and while also being a caregiver for his wife who had two strokes, he feels that his improvement helps her too. 

After completing his program at CHOICE South, frequently praising the team and spreading the word within his circle, he is also connected to Parkinson’s Alberta and Parkinson’s Canada and has registered his body to Parkinson’s Canada for research. 

For more information about CHOICE rehabilitative programs, visit capitalcare.net or contact the location nearest to you.