Stanford PD Community Blog

On April 1st, Parkinson & Movement Disorder Alliance presented a webinar called “Practicing Wellness to Build Resilience.”  The speaker, Julia Alleyne, MD, defines resilience as finding our own inner strength to deal with discomfort, distress, and uncertainty, when we are unsure what the outcome will be.  This webinar focuses on the connection between resilience and physical health.   Though almost none of the webinar was PD-specific, we at Stanford Parkinson’s Community Outreach attended the webinar as we thought the topic of resilience was worthwhile.  Here, we are sharing our notes from the webinar.

The Parkinson Association of the Rockies occasionally offers a webinar for those who are newly diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) or are just beginning to learn about the disorder.  The speakers are the same each time — a social worker, a woman with PD, and the woman’s husband/caregiver.  We at Stanford Parkinson’s Community Outreach attended a recent webinar (early April) and are sharing our notes here.

In early April, the UCSF Memory and Aging Center (MAC) offered a webinar on managing daily activities and fall prevention as part of its ongoing webinar series on Lewy body dementia (LBD). While the webinar was geared towards those with LBD, we felt the content would also be helpful for others with cognitive impairment or Parkinson’s disease dementia. The speakers were Sarah Dulaney, a Clinical Nurse Specialist with UCSF, and Helen Medsger, a family caregiver, advocate, and support group leader. They discussed the importance of establishing a daily routine and how to go about developing one and provided ideas for activities, fall prevention, and communication strategies. We at Stanford Parkinson’s Community Outreach listened to the webinar and are sharing our notes.  

Join a free national webinar, hosted by the American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA)-Northwest Chapter, on Friday, May 8, from 10:30-11:30am. The program is designed for those living with or caring for someone with Parkinson’s and will help participants understand treatment concerns for Parkinson’s disease (PD).  

In mid-March, the UCSF Memory and Aging Center presented a webinar on behavior and mood symptoms in Lewy body dementia (LBD), as part of their ongoing Lewy Body Dementia Caregiver Webinar Series. The speaker was Jennifer Merrilees, RN, PhD, a Clinical Nurse Specialist at the UCSF Memory and Aging Center. She discussed the common behavioral and mood symptoms that characterize LBD; how brain anatomy and neurotransmitters impact mood and behavior; and ways to manage common behaviors, mainly through non-pharmacologic methods. The webinar included a question and answer session. We at Stanford Parkinson’s Community Outreach listened to the webinar and are sharing our notes.