Stanford PD Community Blog

Today, the WellMed Charitable Foundation organized a conference call on how to cope with the novel coronavirus while caregiving, featuring speakers Dr. Elliot Montgomery Sklar and social worker Lucy Barylak. Though the conference call was for caregivers (and not necessarily Parkinson’s caregivers), we listened in as we thought there would be useful suggestions shared for us all on the emotional and psychological aspects of coping.  Indeed, the two speakers discussed how the current pandemic has been impacting caregivers and offered suggestions for regaining some sense of control amid this chaotic situation.  We at Stanford Parkinson’s Community Outreach are sharing our notes from this conference call.  

In early March 2020, Parkinson Canada offered a webinar on mood and cognition in Parkinson’s disease (PD), featuring speaker Dr. Adriana Shnall. She provided an overview of mood and cognition symptoms, including depression, anxiety, cognitive impairment, and psychosis; then she discussed strategies for improving communication and working around these issues. We at Stanford Parkinson’s Community Outreach listened to the webinar and are sharing our notes.  

In late February 2020, Parkinson Canada offered a webinar on drug therapy in Parkinson’s disease (PD), featuring speaker Greta Mah, a clinical pharmacist in Canada. She provided a general overview of medications used in PD within the US as well as in Canada, describing the main categories of drug therapy often used in PD, which may be a helpful refresher for some readers. We at Stanford Parkinson’s Community Outreach listened to the webinar and are sharing our notes.  

In late February 2020, the Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) offered a webinar on sex, love, and Parkinson’s disease (PD).  The panel of speakers included a person with PD, a professor of geriatrics, and a certified sex therapist. They discussed how PD can impact sexual function; the different sexual changes that men and women experience; how medications can impact sex; and strategies and treatments for sexual disfunction in PD. This was followed by an extensive Q&A session. We at Stanford Parkinson’s Community Outreach listened to the webinar and are sharing our notes.  

In mid-February 2020, Alzheimer’s Orange County offered a webinar on senior care options, featuring speaker Nikki Barrett, a licensed social worker in Orange County. She discussed what levels of care are available, from in-home care to skilled nursing; coverage by Medicare versus Medi-Cal; and the costs that can be associated with each level of care. Though the webinar was not specifically about Parkinson’s Disease (or any disorder), we at Stanford Parkinson’s Community Outreach guessed that this would be valuable information for our community. So, we listened to the webinar and are sharing our notes.