How can innovative technology help people with Parkinson’s to better manage their symptoms? Charco Neurotech CEO Lucy Jung, movement disorder specialist Dr Alistair Mackett and Elaine Payne, who lives with the condition, share their perspectives on how the company’s CUE1 device is helping support those in the community Back in 2014, five years before she co-founded UK technology company Charco Neurotech, Lucy Jung was working on a project designed to help people with Parkinson’s through tech – when she was suddenly diagnosed with a benign brain tumour.  “When you become a patient you ..read more

A study by Ireland’s University College Cork will investigate hormonal fluctuations in women with Parkinson’s using the My Moves Matter App invented by Richelle Flanagan, a woman with Parkinson’s. Here, we interview Flanagan about her experiences with Parkinson’s, and her hopes that her app can help personalise care for people with the condition The impact of hormonal fluctuations on women with Parkinson’s is to be investigated in the first-ever study of its kind in the world. The study by Ireland’s University College Cork (UCC) and led by Professor Aideen Sullivan and Research fellow Lucy Col ..read more

In this episode of our multi-award-winning podcast, a neurologist and a person with Parkinson’s sit down to discuss sialorrhea – or drooling – and how to manage this “under-reported symptom” “The drooling has been with me for several years now,” says UK-based David Bateson, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s back in 2015. “Sometimes it’s easy for me to deal with, and sometimes it’s not – it comes and goes, like the weather.” Also referred to as sialorrhea, drooling is a common symptom experienced by many people with Parkinson’s. Joining David to discuss the symptom on an episode of the Parkins ..read more

It was three and a half years after diagnosis in 2013 that Elisabeth Ildal, now 64, decided to found Danish Parkinson’s organisation Cure4Parkinson. After attending the World Parkinson Congress in Portland, Oregon, in the US in September 2016, she spent a few weeks at an exercise rehab centre in Montebello, Spain. “In three weeks, I improved my level of function 22%. I was totally convinced that there was something about training that helped Parkinson’s, so in November when I came home, I founded Cure4Parkinson because I wanted to help.” A keen table-tennis player since she was 13 – and now a ..read more

Leading scientists and patient organisations have worked together to release a research framework for defining and staging Parkinson’s based on biology, rather than clinical symptoms. The impact of this framework could accelerate research, improve the development of new drugs and help diagnose Parkinson’s before physical symptoms emerge. An international working group of Parkinson’s experts and patient organisations has proposed a significant new research framework that – for the first time – stages Parkinson’s and defines it based on its underlying biology. This new framework has been publish ..read more

The world of Parkinson’s is full of inspiring people. Here we highlight four women who are improving the lives of others. We discovered a lot of wonderful people in the Parkinson’s community last year – from filmmakers to fitness leaders, podcasters to poets – and people’s dedication, creativity and resourcefulness never ceases to inspire us. Women role models in the community are particularly important, as despite there being millions of women with Parkinson’s in the world, their needs are often neglected, and their experiences frequently go unheard. Here are four pioneering women we discover ..read more

Our hopes for the Parkinson’s community in the year ahead. This year, Parkinson’s Europe will continue to advocate to improve the lives of people with Parkinson’s, as well as to campaign for more research into its causes and for the development of new medications. Here are three areas where we’d like to see change in 2024: Progress on pesticides There is growing scientific evidence that exposure to certain pesticides may be a contributory factor in the development of Parkinson’s. Despite last year’s campaign by the scientific and Parkinson’s communities to alert the European Commission to gro ..read more

How can theatrical performances support people with Parkinson’s? Members of Tremanti di Passione share how the Italy-based theatre group is helping to forge friendships, inspire confidence – and offer participants a “journey of discovery” Physiotherapist Gigliola Torello didn’t expect to help form a theatre group for people with Parkinson’s. “It all started intuitively,” she says, explaining that when one of her patients was struggling with symptoms of the condition, she proposed that he participate in a theatre workshop. “I didn’t know exactly what it would look like – but I realised it could ..read more

In a new episode of the Parkinson’s Life podcast, sponsored by Bial, a neurologist and a person with Parkinson’s come together to discuss how those with the condition can tackle ‘off’ periods – from holistic strategies to treatment options – and why honest communication is key Recalling her Parkinson’s diagnosis in our latest podcast episode, ‘How to manage ‘off’ periods in Parkinson’s disease’, Canada-based Barbara Salsberg Mathews says: “It was a very difficult time in my life.” The artist and former teacher says she had started to notice some “unusual symptoms”, such as weakness in one ..read more

In a new episode of the Parkinson’s Life podcast, sponsored by pharmaceutical company Bial, a neurologist and a person living with Parkinson’s discuss how those with the condition can identify ‘off’ periods, what forms these states might take – and why raising awareness of this phenomenon is so important Early into his journey with Parkinson’s, US-based Bill Bucklew wasn’t sure how to answer when his neurologist asked him if he experienced ‘off’ periods. “I didn’t really understand the concept,” explains Bill, who was diagnosed with the condition in 2012. “For the first few years of takin ..read more