I was confused.  Very confused.  After doing an intake assessment, I didn't know what it all meant.  And I was supposed to explain things to my Boxers.  I was supposed to be the expert.  The tests meant nothing to them..

The PDQ has 39 questions scored from Always to Never.  Always is bad and never is good.  The FAB has 10 tests scored from 0 to 4 so 40 was a perfect score.  The TUG is measured in seconds and everyone has an 8-second target.  And the Sit-to-Stand counts repetitions with a scoring matrix by gender and age.  There isn't an overall score to tell a Boxer where they are and certainly no way for a Boxer to tell their family or neurologist how they are doing.  What if we could score them all against a easy-to-understand standardized system?  And, wouldn't it be nice to see this in an well organized report?

The BwP Project needed standardized and normalized scoring to quantify things.  Coaches needed a simple scoring system they could glance at and in seconds understand their Boxer's situation, and the Boxers just wanted to know how they are doing.  And we need a report.  A clear, organized and informative report.  Easy peasy.  Not so much.

The BwP Project scores all elements on a normalized, easy-to-understand 100-point scale.  We remember getting a "100" in school, a dollar has 100 pennies, and we give 100% to fighting Parkinson's.  Now, you can compare your Boxer's PDQ (quality of life) score with their FAB, TUG and S2S.  And comparing your Boxer's performance over time is easy.

As an example, a coach can quickly see that a Boxer's overall BwP Score is an 80.  Their PDQ Mobility and Daily Living score is an 80.  Their Cognitive and Communication score is an 80 and their Outlook score is an 80.  And their Physical Assessment score is an 80.  You will quickly be able to understand the scores and their relative meaning.  This Boxer, as an example is well balanced between their quality of life and physical challenges.  No Boxer will actually have the same score in all elements like the above example so variances between scores begin to tell us about this Boxer. 

One benefit of the scoring is that you will recognize when a Boxer's quality of life scores are out of line with their physical scores.  If their QoL scores are significantly higher than their physical scores then they may be in denial, not taking everything seriously enough.  If their QoL scores are significantly below their physical scores, they may be frustrated, angry or depressed.  And, for boxers experiencing improvement in their physical scores, we hope to see improvement in their QoL scores as well.

This reliable and consistent scoring system helps us understand our Boxers and enables us to consult with our Boxers in clear understandable terms.  And, it allows us to compare their changes in QoL and physical performance over time.  Coaches and Boxers can see the details.  It is motivating and helps in talking with family members and setting goals.  Boxers can take their Assessment Reports with them to their neurologist appointments.

Take a few minutes to review a BwP Project Boxer Assessment Report.  A sample report can be found at ________.