Stanford PD Community Blog

In early March 2020, The Cure Parkinson’s Trust presented a webinar about the role of inflammation in Parkinson’s disease (PD), featuring a panel of speakers including neurologists, a clinical researcher, and a dietitian who has PD.  Their discussion included an overview of neuro-inflammation, or inflammation in the central nervous system; other inflammatory diseases such as arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); and current theories and research on the connections between immune function, inflammation, and PD. We at Stanford Parkinson’s Community Outreach listened to the webinar and are sharing our notes.  

Yesterday, the Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) offered a webinar on the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, for the Parkinson’s disease (PD) community, featuring a panel of speakers including neurologists, an infectious disease expert, and MJFF executives. They discussed what we currently know about COVID-19 and PD, how social distancing may help prevent spread, and how to manage challenges and isolation, touching briefly on the potential impacts of the situation on PD research. The webinar ended with a Q&A session. We at Stanford Parkinson’s Community Outreach listened to the webinar and are sharing our notes.  

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.  

Join a free national webinar, hosted by the American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA), on Wednesday, April 29th, 2020 from 10:00am-11:00am (PDT) to help you better understand what’s new in brain health for Parkinson’s disease (PD).  This program is designed to help people with PD, family members and care partners. 

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.