Jeff Holmes, PhD

Associate Professor

Room 2555A, EC
519 661-2111 x88967
jeff.holmes@uwo.ca
ORCID: 0000-0002-5744-8338

Education

  • BA, MScOT, PhD (Western University)
  • MHK (Windsor)

Graduate Program Supervision

  • Health & Rehabilitation Sciences MSc | PhD

Research In Profile

Parkinson’s disease is the fastest growing neurodegenerative disorder which affects both motor and non-motor functioning. With the goal of helping people who are touched by Parkinson’s remain engaged in meaningful occupations, professor Holmes' lab undertakes research that is focused on the non- pharmacological management of gait and balance impairments and on exploring the psychosocial support needs experienced by individuals with Parkinson’s and their care-partners. His team is specifically interested in understanding lived experience and developing/testing educational resources to better support care-partners as they navigate difficult conversations.

Featured Publications and Projects

Articles in Peer-Reviewed Journals

  • Hunter, S.W., Divine, A., Madou, E., Omana, H., Hill, K.D., Johnson, A.M., Holmes, J.D., & Wittich, W. (2020). Executive function as a mediating factor between visual acuity and postural stability in cognitively healthy adults and adults with Alzheimer's dementia, Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics Jul-Aug;89:10407
  • Lutz, S.G., Holmes, J.D., Rudman, D., Johnson, A.M., LaDonna, K., & Jenkins, M.E. (2018). Understanding Parkinson's through visual narratives: I’m not Mrs. Parkinson’s. British Journal of Occupational Therapy. 81 (2), 80-90.
  • Ready, E., McGarry, L., Rinchon, C., Holmes, J.D., and Grahn, J. (2019). Beat perception ability and instructions to synchronize influence gait when walking to music-based auditory cues. Gait & Posture, 68, 555-561.
  • Holmes, J.D., Alvarez, L., Johnson, A.M., Robinson, A.E., Gilhuly, K., Horst, E., Kowalchuk, A., Rathwell, K., Reklitis, Y., and Wheildon, N. (2019). Driving with Parkinson’s disease: Exploring Lived Experience. Journal of Parkinson’s Disease, 1-7.
  • Hunter, S., Omana, H., Madou, E., Wittich, W., Hill, K., Johnson, A., Divine, A., & Holmes, J. (2020). Effect of dual tasking on walking and cognitive demands in adults with Alzheimers Dementia experienced in using a 4-wheeled walker. Gait & Posture, 77, 164-170.
  • Hunter, S.W., Divine, A., Omana, H., Madou, E., & Holmes, J.D. (Accepted). Development, reliability and validity of the Safe Use of Mobility Aids Checklist (SUMAC) for 4-wheeled walker use in people living with dementia, BMC Geriatrics, 20, 468 (2020) DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-020-01865-5
  • Ready, E., Holmes, J.D., & Grahn, J. (2022) Groove and Beat Perception Ability Impact Gait Outcomes in Older Adults During Synchronized Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation. Human Movement Science. doi: 10.1016/j.humov.2022.102972.
  • Abigail Reid, H., Holmes, J., Rudman, D., Johnson, A. (2022). Representing informal caregivers of older adults in occupation-focused research: A critical interpretive synthesis. Journal of Occupational Science, 1-. https://doi.org/10.1080/14427591.2022.2122542

Current Grants and Research Projects

  • Caregiver Burden: Psychosocial support needs experienced by care partners of individuals with Parkinson’s disease (Funded by Parkinson Society Southwestern Ontario; Western University Mid Career Stimulus Grant)
  • Preliminary efficacy of targeted in-vehicle technology on the driving performance of individuals with Parkinson´s disease: A pilot study (Funding Source Parkinson Canada Pilot Project Grant)

Featured Graduate Student Projects

Navigating Occupation and Identity in Parkinson's Disease: A Qualitative Exploration of Lived Experience

  • Lutz, Sara (2017). Master of Science, Health and Rehabilitation Sciences

Optimizing Gait Outcomes in Parkinson's Disease with Auditory Cues: The Effects of Synchronization, Groove, and Beat Perception Abilitytudent last name, First name (year completed). Degree obtained, Graduate program

  • Ready, Emily (2019). PhD, Health and Rehabilitation Sciences

Lived Experience of Having Difficult Conversations Among Care Partners of Individuals with Parkinson's: An Occupational Science Perspective

  • Reid, Abigail (2022). Master of Science, Health and Rehabilitation Sciences

Visit Scholarship@Western for a list of completed student theses and dissertations in the repository.

Additional Information

Academic Appointments and Research Affiliations

  • Director, Health & Human Performance Research Laboratory

Professional Activities

  • Member, Board of Directors, Parkinson Society Southwestern Ontario