Written by Connie Carpenter Phinney  In addition to the regular panelists–Gail Gitin, Pat Donahoo, and me–July’s Care Partner Meetup featured a special guest: Dirk Labuschagne. Dirk has been working as a chaplain affiliated with Rush University for the past three years in the Neuropalliative Care Clinic. Originally from South Africa, he is involved with chaplaincy training at Rush University and was trained at a Presbyterian seminary. As usual, Davis Phinney Foundation Executive Director Polly Dawkins was our moderator. In addition to reading these notes, you can watch a video recordin ..read more

If you’re considering Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), chances are you have a few questions. Maybe you’re wondering what to expect from the surgery. Maybe you’re curious about safety or recovery timelines. Or maybe you want to hear what people who have been living with DBS think of their experience.  To help with this, we surveyed Davis Phinney Foundation Ambassadors who have had DBS. We asked them what they thought were the most important things a person with Parkinson’s who is considering DBS should know. Over half of the people who responded to our survey had their first programming visi ..read more

In this podcast episode, Speech Language Pathologist Roxann Diez-Gross, PhD, discusses breathing and swallowing, two core processes that are often impacted by Parkinson’s. Listen in as Dr. Diez-Gross describes the nuances of how humans breath and swallow safely. Don’t be alarmed if you learn that you haven’t been paying attention to what happens when your swallow: many people in the live audience were delighted by learning what they didn’t notice about these two processes they engage in countless times every day. Note that we recorded this content during one of our live events, and please n ..read more

AI, blood tests, and early diagnoses. Genetic ancestry and Parkinson’s prevalence. Sleep surveys, therapies, and research. Cannabis contaminants. Updates from numerous ongoing trials. Read on for the latest in Parkinson’s research, therapies, and living well stories! SCIENCE AND RESEARCH NEWS PARKINSON’S PATHOLOGY AND PATHOGENESIS Using artificial intelligence, researchers at the University College London and University Medical Center Goettingen have developed a blood test that may be able to detect Parkinson’s up to seven years before symptoms emerge. The study, published in Nature Communic ..read more

In this episode of The Parkinson’s Podcast Unfiltered, Heather and Kat discuss making the most of relationships. The conversation includes discussion of the importance of listening and communication, as well as the necessity of recognizing the potential for surprise and extra stress in relationships when you are living with a chronic health condition. During this episode, Heather and Kat also talk about how they manage their energy and prioritize their friendships and relationships with care partners. One critical observation Kat makes about this relates to the fact that relationships may h ..read more

During this month’s meetup, our panelists discussed their experiences navigating non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s like apathy, pain, and cognitive impairment. For the majority of our panelists (and for many people with Parkinson’s), non-motor symptoms outnumber motor symptoms and tend to appear years before motor symptoms. The panelists also highlighted how non-motor symptoms are often much more challenging on a daily basis than motor symptoms. Read on for a summary of the conversation and to access a recording of the meetup. If you haven’t attended our meetups live, register to receive the ..read more

En este seminario web, compuesto de cuatro episodios, abordamos un tema poco conocido dentro de la comunidad de Parkinson de habla hispana: la terapia ocupacional y su papel en el diagnóstico y tratamiento del Parkinson.  Sabemos muy poco acerca de qué es la terapia ocupacional y los beneficios que aporta a las personas con Parkinson. Por ello, este seminario web está dedicado a explorar no sólo en qué consiste la terapia ocupacional y su aplicación al tratamiento holístico del diagnóstico, sino también nos ofrecerá ejemplos específicos en los cuales puede ser de utilidad en la calidad ..read more

In this conversation, occupational therapist Carol Chiang explains how occupational therapy and AgeTech can help people with Parkinson’s complete activities of daily living, and how home adaptations can help you live well with Parkinson’s today and into the future. The notes below highlight and expand upon some of the core messages from the webinar discussion. Watch or listen to the complete recording using the links that follow this paragraph. You can also subscribe to our YouTube page and be alerted as soon as a new video is uploaded. YouTube Audio An audio version of this webinar i ..read more

This content is made possible through the generous support of listeners like you. Click here to make a donation. In this episode, Dr. Jori Fleisher emphasizes the realness of pain in Parkinson’s by explaining the causes of pain, how to talk to your doctor about your pain, and both medical and non-medical pain management strategies. Click here to subscribe for our podcast and video content on YouTube.  Click here to learn more about the Davis Phinney Foundation for Parkinson’s.  LISTEN TO THE EPISODE This podcast is also available on YouTube. Follow us  Facebook  T ..read more

Written by Connie Carpenter Phinney During our June 2024 meetup Polly Dawkins moderated our panel of three care partners: Gail Gitin, Pat Donahoo, and me, Connie Carpenter Phinney. Gail and Pat are Ambassadors for the Foundation and can be reached here. I have been living with my person with Parkinson’s for more than 40 years and for 24 of those years, Parkinson’s has been part of our story. We covered a lot of territory in our June Care Partner Meetup with discussions ranging from the concept of reciprocity to Pat’s travels as part of a group of cyclists with Parkinson’s crossing the count ..read more