Stanford PD Community Blog

In December 2020, Parkinson and Movement Disorder (PMD) Alliance hosted a panel discussion on people living alone with Parkinson’s disease (PD). It featured two speakers, an aging life care specialist and a social worker, who talked about the importance of having a care system around you even if you are living independently from family or a caregiver.

On February 10th and 11th Dementia Alliance of North Carolina hosted the first Dr. Daniel Kaufer Memorial Caregiver Conference.  The theme of the conference was Behaviors: Awareness, Attitude (Day 1), and Action (Day 2).  I attended three sessions on Day 1.  These notes have relevance for those dealing with Parkinson’s Disease and dementia.

The World Parkinson Coalition (WPC) hosted a conference in September 2020 for Parkinson’s disease (PD) caregivers and family members. One of the sessions was a series of short presentations on cognitive changes in people with Parkinson’s, followed by a question-and-answer session. It featured four speakers all with different experiences in this topic: a registered nurse, a social worker, and a person with Parkinson’s with his caregiver husband. This discussion was focused on the role of PD caregivers while a person with PD is experiencing cognitive changes. 

In October 2020, Parkinson Association of Northern California (PANC) hosted a virtual conference on Parkinson’s disease and its many motor and non-motor symptoms. One session was a panel discussion on multidisciplinary care. In this session, the panelists talked about the importance of multidisciplinary care, the “lifetime model” approach to team care, nutrition for Parkinson’s disease (PD), emotional symptoms of PD, speech/voice therapy, and how people can get involved in PD research.

In November 2020, the Houston Area Parkinson Society (HAPS) hosted a day-long conference aiming to address the specific needs, challenges, and realities caregivers encounter every day. The first talk focused specifically on coping as a caregiver.  The presenter was Kathleen Crist, social worker and executive director of HAPS. She offered tips to prepare for caregiving, find success, and foster sustainability.  Kathleen discussed how to recognize unhealthy levels of stress and burnout.  Additionally, she addressed how to manage these feelings, both for the sake of your own health as well as the person you’re caring for.