Stanford PD Community Blog

In late July, PMD Alliance (pmdalliance.org) hosted a one-hour webinar with Irene Litvan, MD, movement disorder specialist at UCSD.  The title of the webinar was “Doc, why don’t I have PD?”  Dr. Litvan says that some of her patients ask her this, pointing out that they have slowness, stiffness, and tremor.  Her presentation focused on atypical parkinsonism disorders as a whole and the differences between Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and these atypicals.  Of all the atypical parkinsonism disorders, she spent the most time on progressive supranuclear palsy and multiple system atrophy, just a bit of time on Lewy body dementia, and almost no time on corticobasal degeneration.  The question-and-answer session included a lot of comments on PD.  We at Stanford Parkinson’s Community Outreach listened to the webinar and are sharing our notes. 

Stanford’s Parkinson’s Community Outreach Program hosts a quarterly deep brain stimulation (DBS) support group meeting for those wanting to learn more about this surgical treatment for Parkinson’s disease (PD). The June 2020 meeting featured Dr. Daniel Kramer, a neurosurgeon and clinical instructor at Stanford, who answered audience questions pertaining to DBS. We at Stanford Parkinson’s Community Outreach viewed the discussion and are sharing our notes.

In early June, the Parkinson’s Foundation hosted a webinar on wellness and remote care for people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) during the coronavirus pandemic, featuring a panel of movement disorders specialists. They discussed how to maintain wellness in the face of the challenges presented by Covid-19, and how to access care going forward. We at Stanford Parkinson’s Community Outreach viewed the webinar and are sharing our notes.  

In early June, the Parkinson’s Foundation offered a webinar on managing blood pressure in Parkinson’s disease (PD), featuring neurologist Albert Hung. He discussed how PD impacts blood pressure (BP) regulation, how to diagnose BP issues, and approaches to treating BP in those with PD. There was a short question and answer session as well. We at Stanford Parkinson’s Community Outreach viewed the webinar and are sharing our notes.  

On June 8th, PMD Alliance presented a webinar called “Neuropalliative and Supportive Care.”

Palliative care is often associated with hospice care and terminal illnesses such as cancer. There is a growing expansion of the palliative care model into neurological diseases to support a range of health-related quality of life concerns. This includes the management of medical, psychiatric, psychosocial and spiritual well-being.