Everyone processes a Parkinson’s disease (PD) diagnosis differently. Navigating a range of emotions — from relief to despair — can feel overwhelming. Built on community, the Parkinson’s Foundation is here to support people newly diagnosed with Parkinson’s and their care partners now and at every stage of their journey.

“Newly Diagnosed: Building a Better Life with Parkinson’s” is the Parkinson’s Foundation campaign working to close the gap between a PD diagnosis and the essential resources that can inspire and support people new to Parkinson’s.

The goal is to help connect those new to the PD community with others living with PD and work toward building a network of support. These five steps can equip people with Parkinson’s with tools that foster well-being while ideally reducing worry and improving day-to-day living.

1. Determine Your Goals

Create an action plan, honor your efforts as you take small steps towards success and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Call the Parkinson’s Foundation Helpline at 1-800-4PD-INFO (473-4636) for answers to all your questions, starting with your diagnosis.

Thinking about what is most meaningful to you, then working it into your daily routine, can be inspiring and empowering. Setting small, clear personal goals — whether designed to boost health or personal connections — and following through, can help you live well. Be sure to reward yourself when you master a goal. This can help inspire you to tackle and conquer your next challenge.

2. Find Someone to Talk to

You are not alone. It’s important to understand how Parkinson’s can impact you physically and how it can impact your mood and emotions. Finding someone to talk to can provide connection, comfort and understanding. A counselor or PD support group can provide opportunities to talk about shared experiences, relieve stress and build new friendships.

Whether you seek out a counselor or join a support group, sharing your feelings can help you navigate them and prevent isolation.

3. Create Healthy Habits

Maintaining good health is vital to living well with Parkinson’s. Everyone with PD should strive for good nutrition and ample sleep. Vegetables, fruits, whole grains, milk and dairy products, protein-rich foods and healthy fats, like olive oil and nuts, can improve energy, fight constipation and keep bones strong. Try planning meals in advance to ensure a healthy diet.

Getting enough sleep helps manage mood, health and PD symptoms. Make sure to keep your sleeping area, cool, dark and free from electronics, to ensure plenty of rest.

4. Be Active

Exercise is essential to managing almost every aspect of Parkinson’s. Steady physical activity can improve many symptoms and offers a neuroprotective effect. It can also improve mood, coordination, flexibility, working memory and more. Moving Day, A Walk for Parkinson’s, is a great way to get active.

The Parkinson’s Outcomes Project shows that people with PD who start exercising earlier and a minimum of 2.5 hours a week, experience a slowed decline in quality of life compared to those who start later. Establishing early exercise habits is essential to overall disease management.

5. Find a Parkinson’s Expert

Working together with a movement disorder specialist or neurologist who specializes in PD ensures you get the best possible care. Neurologists are doctors who work with brain and central nervous system conditions such as PD. Movement disorder specialists — neurologists with additional training to treat people with Parkinson’s at every stage of the disease — can be a key addition to a quality care team.

Your primary Parkinson’s doctor can recommend other healthcare professionals who can help treat day-to-day challenges. When possible, assembling a holistic, care team can optimize your well-being.

To reach more newly diagnosed people, the Parkinson’s Foundation has launched new resources, compiled expert advice and a new online community for people with Parkinson’s, family members and care partners to build a better life with Parkinson’s.

Visit Parkinson.org/NewlyDiagnosed to order or download Newly Diagnosed resources.

Regardless of where your loved one is on their Parkinson’s disease (PD) journey, you are the only one who can define “caregiving.” Especially following a new diagnosis, you might not feel like you are actually “giving” care. Similarly, your loved one might not see himself or herself as someone in need of care. But remember, care is not limited to physical tasks. Care can be emotional and spiritual as well as physical.

With resources created for care partners like our Caring and Coping educational book and Caregiver Summit videos, the Parkinson’s Foundation is here for caregivers. This November, for National Caregiving Month, we are asking our PD community to share their caregiving #KeyToPD. These care partners tell us their #Keys:

“I use a black container to put my husband's medications in when I get them ready for him to take. I used to use the clear or white plastic cups, but since most of his pills are white or light colored it was sometimes difficult for him to see them. Then I found some black sauce cups from an Italian restaurant and he can now see the pills much better.”
– Susan W.

“Being a caregiver is probably the most difficult job you’re ever going to have. The only way you can do it is to take care of yourself. You cannot say, ‘I don’t have time for me.’ The person you’re taking care of wants the best for you because you’re giving the best to them. Don’t be a martyr. It’s okay to take care of yourself.”
– Karen

“Planning. I am the live-in caregiver for my mom with PD.  I set aside a few hours one day a month to set up her pills in four, seven-day containers. That way in case something comes up, at least we have her pills ready. Also, I set alarm timers in both our phones for her pill times. Such a big help!”
– Megan F.

“A ‘couch cane.’ This allowed my mother more independence for a while longer. She could get herself up from her couch using the couch cane. Her walker was right next to it, so once she arose, she could use the walker to move to the bathroom on her own.”
– Jean B.

"When you go to the support groups, when you go to the meetings, you meet other people with the same problems, the same difficulties. It’s a wonderful way to communicate, understand what you’re up against and get advice from other people. As you get together you start talking, you start confiding, and you find that you get people that are very willing to listen. That’s very important to me.”
– Carolyn

“We used to carry 2-ounce slices of cheese and 1.92-ounce single-size candy bars. Whenever my wife's dyskinesia got bad, she would eat one or two slices of cheese and the protein would counteract the excessive Sinemet causing the dyskinesia. Whenever her feet froze to the pavement, she would pop a chocolate bar and that would unfreeze her.”
– George A.

 “Even as life changes, never stop striving to increase the qualities of your life together.”
– Judith

The Parkinson’s Foundation does not endorse products mentioned in this article.

To have a good night’s sleep, we should work to create healthy habits and a sleep routine. Just as you brush your teeth to maintain good dental health, there are things you can do to improve nighttime sleep and daytime alertness.

Sleep-related symptoms are reported by more than 75 percent of people with Parkinson’s disease (PD). For people with PD, sleep becomes even more important as the body needs more time to restore and repair itself. The brain changes that are part of PD can also cause sleep disorders and some people have problems sleeping even before PD is diagnosed.

Getting enough sleep is essential, not just for people with PD. These seven tips can help you create healthier habits for a better sleep.

1. Set a schedule

Set a specific time to go to bed. Making this a habit will help you keep track of the hours you sleep and maintain a schedule. Going to bed and getting up at the same time helps set good sleep-wake rhythms.

2. Limit naps

If you nap, try to do so at the same time every day, for no more than an hour, and not after 3 p.m. Daytime naps may make it hard to fall and stay asleep at night. Not all naps are bad, studies have shown that short naps (lasting 15–20 minutes) may improve mood, alertness and performance on activities of daily living and other tasks. 

3. Spend time in natural light

Light helps set our internal clock. Studies have linked daytime exposure to natural light with sounder sleep. If you can’t get outdoors, consider light therapy — sitting near a light therapy box. Studies have also suggested that movement and non-movement symptoms may improve with light therapy.

4. Exercise

For people with Parkinson’s, exercise can help maintain balance, mobility and activities of daily living. Among many of its benefits, exercise promotes good sleep. After a workout, give yourself a few hours to let your body regulate its temperature, adrenaline and heart rate. Try to exercise every day and avoid exercise after 8 p.m.

5. Avoid caffeine nicotine and alcohol

While coffee can help with daytime sleepiness, caffeine and nicotine are stimulants that can cause insomnia. Avoid them in the afternoon or at night. Alcohol may help you fall asleep, but sleep can be interrupted as your body processes alcohol.

6. Relax

Getting in a relaxed mood can reduce anxiety and lead to better sleep. Make relaxation rituals a habit and listen to music or take a warm bath to settle down. Do not watch television in bed; try to use the bed for sleeping or sexual activity.

7. Regulate the bedroom temperature

A cooler temperature is better for sleep but try to avoid temperature extremes. Environments that are too cold or too warm are not conducive to good sleep. Regulating the temperature will help with your relaxation and sleeping mood.

Sleep is a critical topic of interest for the PD community, which is why the Parkinson’s Foundation has multiple resources dedicated to address it:

• Sleep: A Mind Guide to Parkinson’s Disease
• Episode 46: Addressing Sleep Discomfort with Parkinson’s
• Sleep Disorders

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is known for its associated motor symptoms, such as tremor and slowed movement. People can be surprised to learn that cognitive changes are among common PD non-motor symptoms. Significant cognitive impairment can impact care partners, too. Education and healthy coping strategies ensure everyone’s best care.

The following article is based on a Parkinson’s Foundation Expert Briefings webinar exploring care partner strategies to identify and help people with PD dementia, hosted by Joseph Quinn, MD, a neurologist at Parkinson’s Foundation Center of Excellence Oregon Health & Science University and the Portland VA Medical Center. Dr. Quinn, the Parkinson’s Center director for both institutions, focuses his research on cognitive decline prevention and dementia treatment.

What is PD Dementia?

Mild cognitive impairment is very common with Parkinson’s disease. It can impact memory and thinking but doesn’t always affect daily activities. Dementia, however, is when cognitive changes impact daily living. Dementia may or may not occur in people with PD. According to recent research, 30 percent of people with Parkinson’s do not develop dementia as part of the disease progression.

The different types of dementia include:

• Alzheimer’s disease – the most common form. Impaired memory is a prevailing feature.
• Parkinson’s Disease dementia (PDD) – diagnosed when a person with Parkinson’s experiences cognitive decline after years of motor symptoms. Trouble multitasking and planning complex operations, vision problems and hallucinations are all common.
• Lewy body dementia (LBD) – diagnosed when PD motor symptoms and cognitive decline happen around the same time, and progress together.

An allied team approach to Parkinson’s healthcare fosters optimal living; the same is true with PDD and LBD. The following 10 steps, adapted by Dr. Joseph Quinn from an Alzheimer’s Association checklist, can help care partners and families of people with PDD and LBD ensure everyone’s well-being, health and safety.

Parkinson’s Disease Dementia and Lewy Body Dementia Family Checklist

1. Confirm your diagnosis. Issues with mood, sleep, medications or other medical problems can all look like dementia. Your Parkinson’s doctor should look at all factors before a diagnosis of PDD or LBD is provided.
2. Find a doctor familiar with PDD and LBD. There is no single test for dementia associated with Parkinson’s. The diagnosis is made on clinical grounds. It’s important to find a specialist or physician familiar with dementia or geriatric medicine. Call the Parkinson's Foundation Helpline 1-800-4PD-INFO (473-4636) for a referral.
3. Get Parkinson’s dementia education, including:
   • Medical advice – a physician can give diagnosis, outlook and treatment guidance.
   • Legal advice – Discuss your healthcare and financial preferences with loved ones early on. Find a lawyer who can help formalize these preferences to ensure they are carried out if you are someday unable to voice them.
   • Communication – the best ways to communicate with a person with PD dementia and deal with difficult behaviors aren’t always intuitive and require patience and acceptance.
   • Key safety issues – prioritize everyone’s well-being by learning about PD dementia danger risks.
   • Expert resources – call the Parkinson’s Foundation Helpline 1-800-4PD-INFO (473-4636), or search “cognition” or “dementia” in the PD Library. The Alzheimer’s Association also offers educational material.
4. Plan a family meeting. The needs of any person with dementia will increase over time. Family members should know how to modify communication and support the primary care partner.
5. Include the person with dementia in the decision-making process. Personality and judgement are often intact in early dementia stages. It’s important to give the person with dementia the chance to express their preferences, but it’s also important to know when safety concerns should limit decision-making.
6. Consider and monitor safety issues from the time of diagnosis. Take key precautions:
   • Change driving privileges before safety becomes an issue. Your doctor can make a driving evaluation referral.
   • Ensure financial safety. People with dementia are at greater risk of falling victim to scams and fraud.
   • Limit prescription risks. Confirm medication names and doses with your loved one’s doctor. If the person is in dementia’s early stages and capable, fill their weekly pill box together and monitor use.
7.  Work out financial and legal issues.
   • Certain legal documents are important for everyone, regardless of age or health:
   • An advance directive ensures your healthcare preferences are carried out if you cannot communicate them.
   • Healthcare and financial power of attorney (POA) documents name whom you want to make related decisions for you, should you become unable.
   • In later stages of PD (with or without dementia), consider physician orders for life sustaining care (POLST).
   • Rarely, conservatorship or guardianship measures need to be put in place.
   • An elder law attorney can help with financial planning for future healthcare and insurance needs.

Call the Parkinson’s Foundation Helpline 1-800-4PD-INFO (473-4636) for legal resource referrals in your area. Both the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and National Elder Law Foundation can offer referrals to navigate legal and financial planning complexities.

8. Seek out support services. Care partners need someone to talk with and rely on for support and regular breaks. 
9. Provide an ID bracelet. Medical alert identification including a phone number is vital should the person with PD dementia wander or get lost, even briefly.
10. Focus on the primary care partner’s needs. To take good care of others you must first care for yourself.
    • Have an emergency care plan to ease transitions should others need to unexpectedly take over care duties.
    • Attend a support group or talk to someone.
    • Build in weekly time for yourself.
    • Get adequate sleep to better cope with daily challenges.
    • Remember your sense of humor.
    • Sustain supportive friendships.
    • Value yourself.

Care Partner Self-Care Steps

Compared to their peers, studies show caregivers to a loved one with dementia face increased health risks. A collaborative Centers for Disease Control and Alzheimer’s Association cognitive health roadmap shows caring for your heart can also benefit your brain.

To reduce care partner heart, stroke and cognitive decline risks, embrace the American Heart Association’s online My Life Check health assessment tool and “Life’s Simple 7” checklist, which includes:

1. Aerobic exercise
2. Control cholesterol
3. Eat according to Heart Association guidelines
4. Manage blood pressure
5. Manage weight
6. Reduce blood sugar
7. Quit smoking

Learn More

Learn more Parkinson’s and dementia in the below resources or by calling our free Helpline at 1-800-4PD-INFO (473-4636).

• Book: Caring and Coping
• Caregiver articles: Dealing with Dementia, Caregiver Stress, Your Health Needs

Together, we made life better for people in our Parkinson’s community in 2019. Your support allowed us to launch new, exciting initiatives that are changing lives, while funding critical research and local classes tailored to people with Parkinson’s disease (PD). With your support, we are reaching more people living with this disease in the U.S. and are closing the gap to help the 60,000 Americans diagnosed every year.

Thanks to YOU, we were able to accomplish the following in 2019:

1. Launched First-of-its-Kind Free Genetic Testing Initiative
   We launched PD GENEration: Mapping the Future of Parkinson’s Disease, a national initiative that offers free genetic testing for clinically relevant PD-related genes and free genetic counseling. We are excited to reach our goal of testing and providing genetic counseling for up to 15,000 people with PD.
    
2. Funded $12.2 Million to Further Parkinson’s Research
   This was an impactful year for Parkinson’s research. We established four new Research Centers that will receive a total of $8 million to launch PD-specific research studies. We also  simultaneously funded $4.2 million across 46 research grants that support the work of promising scientists in the PD field, cutting-edge clinical trials and fellowships.
    
3. Designed Program for People Newly Diagnosed with Parkinson’s
   With a focus to reach the 60,000 people who are newly diagnosed with PD each year in the U.S., Newly Diagnosed: Building a Better Life with Parkinson's Disease aims to close the gap between diagnosis and knowing where and how to find the right information and resources to live better with PD. Order or download the free Newly Diagnosed kit. 

4. Shared Research Findings at the 5th World Parkinson Congress
   In June, we enthusiastically joined our international community at the 5th World Parkinson Congress (WPC) in Kyoto, Japan, where our PD experts shared 10 research posters.
    
5. Expanded our Centers of Excellence Care Network
   Every year, we hope to bring expert care to more people with PD. In 2019, we expanded our Center of Excellence global network to include three new centers. Centers of Excellence are a medical center with a specialized team who provide expert Parkinson’s care. Find a Center of Excellence in your area.
    
6. Partnered with Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research to Report New Economic Burden and Host Policy Forum
   In 2019, we collaborated with the Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) to publish that the economic burden of Parkinson’s is nearly $52 billion every year. Together, we also hosted the 2019 Parkinson’s Policy Forum, bringing more than 150 advocates from across the U.S., along with leading experts in PD research to advocate for our community.
    

7. 

   Granted $1.5 Million to Local Communities for Parkinson’s Programs
   We proudly funded $1.5 million throughout 118 community-based grants that provide education and outreach programs, along with local research initiatives, that address unmet needs in the PD community.

8. Issued First Patient-Centered Research Agenda for Women with PD
   Recognizing long-standing gender disparities in Parkinson’s research and care, our Women and Parkinson’s Initiative created the first patient-centered action agenda to maximize quality of life for women with Parkinson’s.
    
9. Appointed Aware in Care Ambassadors
   In 2019, we appointed our first-ever  Aware in Care Ambassadors, a volunteer group to help distribute Aware in Care kits that serve to bolster best practices in treating patients with Parkinson’s disease to both patients and healthcare providers.
    
10. Designed New Online Nurse Course
    With the prevalence of PD expected to increase in the coming years, we wanted to provide more professional education opportunities for nurses. In 2019, we launched a new online course for nurses who deliver care throughout all stages of Parkinson’s. 

As much as we accomplished in 2019, we are committed to furthering our reach and impact in 2020 to help even more people live better with Parkinson’s. Your continued support is the only way we can make that happen. Thank you.

November is Caregivers Month

All November we’ll be raising awareness about caregiver burnout. Learn more about how to combat caregiver burnout. Read more.

Navigating Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a life-long process for care partners, but you don’t have to do it alone. We’re here for you with these top 10 caregiver resources:

1. Helpline

Our Helpline specialists answer all Parkinson’s and care partner questions and refer health care professionals. Call 1-800-4PD-INFO (1-800-473-4636) or email Helpline@Parkinson.org.

2. Care Partner Guide

This comprehensive guidebook was written for care partners at every stage of PD. In addition to practical tips, you'll find encouraging insights from other care partners, as well as activities, worksheets and resources.

3. Podcast

As a caregiver, it is important to stay up-to-date on Parkinson’s. Listen to our podcast, Substantial Matters: Life and Science of Parkinson’s, as we cover PD treatments, research and techniques to help you and your loved one live better every day. Subscribe or listen online.

4. Parkinson.org/Caregivers

From beginning your care partner journey to caring for someone with advanced PD, our articles are devoted to helping you navigate all stages of PD. 

5. Videos for Care Partners

Our YouTube playlist features tips, interviews with care partners, advice for those caring for a loved one with advanced Parkinson's and more. 

6. Care Partner Courses

This set of one-of-a-kind self-paced online courses offers videos, journal prompts and opportunities to connect with care partners about the topics that are most important to you. Enroll now in our Care Partner Program: Building a Care Partnership.

7. Expert Briefings

Find out what leading PD doctors and other experts have to say through our Expert Briefings webinar series.

8. Advanced Parkinson's Information 

As Parkinson's advances, the care partner role evolves. Read our Advanced Parkinson's page, along with the challenges unique to this stage, including Thinking Changes & Dementia and Activities of Daily Living.  

9. PD Library

Parkinson’s knowledge is power! Visit our PD Library for our vast collection of free publications and fact sheets.

10. Virtual and In-Person Events

Explore upcoming virtual events —from on-demand exercise Fitness Friday events to expert-led PD deep dives. Ready to build your PD community? Find an in-person event near you.

For more information about caregiving visit Parkinson.org/Caregiving.

Whether you care for someone who only requires help with basic tasks or for someone who requires daily physical care, utilizing the proper tools can help care partners provide the best support for their loved one with Parkinson’s disease (PD).

Think of caregiving as a home: when you move into a new house, you furnish it, make it a place you feel comfortable in and invite your friends and family over to celebrate. Moving into this new role as a care partner requires a similar level of rearranging. It will take time to get used to the new normal, but you will feel that comfort again. The first step is to learn what coping skills work for you.

Research shows that care partners face risks to their own emotional and physical health, which is why it is vital to prioritize coping tools to address the stress associated with caregiving. Examples of declined physical health in care partners include higher incidences of heart disease, high blood pressure, decreased immunity to sickness, anxiety and sleep deprivation.

By exploring ways that help you identify and relieve stressful tasks, you have the capability to create a better space for you and your loved one with Parkinson’s. As with building a safe, happy, and healthy home, it can help to establish the below coping tools early on:

“Seek out others who are walking this same journey; you are not alone and need to be able to share honestly and openly with someone who can really understand what you are experiencing.”

– Virginia DeWitt, care partner, Team Spark Support Group Leader, Grand Rapids, MI

“Keep active and be happy with what you are able to do rather than looking at what you can’t do.”

– Myra Hirschhorn, former care partner, Cherry Hill Parkinson’s Support Group Leader, Willingboro, NJ

• Identify stress triggers. A first step in coping with stress is identifying and acknowledging the causes. Identify the moments that cause tension as a care partner and determine how you can make that task or time of day easier.
• Connect with other caregivers. No one will understand your experience as well as other care partners. Join a support group for care partners to learn other methods of caring and how to better cope with the role of caregiving.
  TIP: Register for our 2020 Care Partner Summit to hear experts discuss caregiving, coping mechanisms and connect with other caregivers.
• Acknowledge your right to feel what you feel. It is okay if you feel grief, anger, anxiety, guilt or depression. Seek out someone you can talk to, whether a professional or a friend.
• Seek out activities that bring you pleasure. Do the things you love. Read a book, see a movie or make time to enjoy your coffee each morning. No matter how big or small, it’s important to find joy in your daily life.
• Build in regular breaks. Treat scheduled breaks as appointments. You cannot be a good caregiver to someone else if you do not take care of yourself.
• Delegate. No one expects you to do it all. Determine what your limits are and ask others to help where you need it. Most people are more than willing to help, especially when given specific tasks.
• Seek out joy in your relationship with the person with Parkinson’s. Your hands-on duties, such as bathing and dressing your loved one, might feel like work, but these tasks bring you together. Add some fun to your hands-on care: sing songs, tell jokes, share goals and dreams.
• Develop a habit of participating in activities together outside of care tasks. Shared time as husband-wife, mother-daughter, siblings or other relationship — rather than as caregiver and care recipient — allows you to enjoy each other and build happy memories.

Learn more about Planning for the Unpredictable Path of Parkinson’s Caregiving at the 2020 Care Partner Summit. Register today at Parkinson.org/Summit.

With cold temperatures and short days, winter may also coincide with feelings of isolation or loneliness. Know that you are not alone. The winter blues are common and can be triggered by the smallest occurrences. Whether you’re feeling down or simply need an escape, tune into our Substantial Matters: Life and Science of Parkinson’s podcast episodes and tackle the seasonal lows with some of our most popular podcast episodes featuring Parkinson’s disease (PD) experts.

1. Mental Health in a Medical Setting

Mental health issues are often a part of a chronic disease such as Parkinson’s, but no one comes into a disease as a blank slate. Therefore, distress in the setting of a disease should not only be ascribed to having the disease but should also take the whole person into account.

Listen Now

2. Recognizing Non-motor Symptoms in PD

In addition to tremor or stiffness, people with PD are often troubled by common non-motor symptoms such as fatigue, pain, disturbed mood or cognition. Visits to PD specialized therapists, exercise, dance and other movement regimes can help alleviate these problems.

Listen Now

3. A Western Perspective on PD: Understanding Complementary Medicine

While the traditional medicine from a Western perspective typically include drugs, rehabilitation therapies or surgical operations, many Eastern cultures take a holistic approach to treatment through the use of herbs, acupuncture, dietary therapy and other techniques aimed at restoring a healthy balance.

Listen Now

4. Autonomic Problems

A comprehensive, team approach can help people with PD improve quality of life issues that may not come up during routine doctor visits due to the associated stigma or potential feelings of embarrassment. These issues can include sexual/intimacy matters, blood pressure drops or urinary symptoms and often have easy solutions when addressed.

Listen Now

5. Talking to Children About Parkinson’s

Receiving a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis, especially at an early age, can be seen as disrupting an entire life plan. But it doesn’t have to. This episode offers advice about how to talk to children about the disease, where to turn for resources, and how having a relative with a chronic disease can have positive aspects for a child.

Listen Now

6. The Benefits of Exercise for People with Parkinson’s

Regular exercise is essential for people with Parkinson’s and has been shown to improve many PD symptoms including balance, mobility, issues with depression and constipation. Additionally, research shows that exercise may have a protective effect on the brain, slowing the degeneration of brain cells.

Listen Now

7. More Than Movement: Addressing Cognitive and Behavioral Challenges in Caring for PD

Addressing cognitive, behavioral, emotional and other neuropsychiatric issues may be challenging for physicians and for those they treat. This episode highlights an integrated cognitive behavioral movement disorder program addressing these challenges.

Listen Now

New to podcasts? Listen online or read our How to Subscribe article.

PD Health @ Home features new weekly Parkinson’s disease (PD) wellness and education virtual events designed for the PD community. We have new, exciting upcoming events scheduled that help promote mindfulness, highlight COVID-19 issues, exercise classes and more. Remember to join us and catch up on previous virtual events now.

These are the top 10 most popular PD Health @ Home episodes YOU found to be the most helpful:

1. Emotional Stress, Mindfulness Meditation and Mindful Movement

In this Mindfulness Monday, we introduce you to mindfulness and discuss the role emotional stress plays on the brain. Event recorded April 6.

Watch Now
See Upcoming Mindfulness Monday Events

2. Stress and Aging

In this Mindfulness Monday, we discuss Parkinson’s and aging, stress management and what successful aging looks like. Event recorded April 13.

Watch Now
See Upcoming Mindfulness Monday Events

3. Expert Briefing: PD and Medication: What’s New?

In this Expert Briefings Tuesday event, Fernando Pagan, MD, highlights the latest PD medications and what is next in Parkinson’s treatments. Event recorded April 14.

Watch Now
See Upcoming Expert Briefing Tuesday Events

4. Mind, Mood & Motion

In this Expert Briefing Tuesday, we highlighted the changes that can occur in thinking and memory for people with Parkinson’s and their care partners and the steps you can take to reduce the effects these symptoms might have. Event recorded April 7.

Watch Now
See Upcoming Expert Briefing Tuesday Events

5. Ask the Expert: How Can I Benefit from Telemedicine?

In this Wellness Wednesday, Roy Alcalay, MD, explains what to expect from a telehealth appointment, the benefits of telemedicine and provides helpful tips for your next appointment. 

Watch Now
See Upcoming Wellness Wednesday Events

6. Ask the Expert: Parkinson’s & Hospitalization

In this Wellness Wednesday, Dr. Okun reviews hospital safety for people with Parkinson’s who may be experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and answers questions from our Facebook community. Event recorded April 8.

Watch Now
See Upcoming Expert Briefings Tuesday Events

7. Staying Sane through Quarantine

In this Take Time Thursday, we discuss quarantine and social distancing challenges and ways to cope with this new normal. Event recorded April 20.

Watch Now
See Upcoming Take Time Thursday Events

8. Overcome Exercise Apathy with Live Fitness Demos

In this Take Time Thursday, we help you break some exercise apathy habits while at home and show you some exercises that get you out of your chair. Event recorded April 23.

Watch Now
See Upcoming Take Time Thursday Events

9. Fitness Friday: Posture

In this Fitness Friday, Physical Therapist Joellyn Fox leads you through our PD-tailored at-home fitness class. This session will help you improve your posture through seated stretching and core exercises. Event released April 10.

Watch Now
See Upcoming Fitness Fridays Events

10. Fitness Friday: Arms

In this Fitness Friday, Joellyn Fox will guide you through exercises that can help improve arm strength, highlighting correct form, chair and standing exercises. Event released April 24.

Watch Now
See Upcoming Mindfulness Monday Events

VIEW ALL UPCOMING PD HEALTH @ HOME PROGRAMS HERE

Check out our weekly PD Health @ Home events now. Join us and catch up on previous virtual events.

Summer is here! Even though coronavirus and social distancing may still play a part in our day-to-day lives, we want to help you feel “on” all summer long. Bring the sunshine into your home with new ways to stay mentally active.

This summer, exercise your brain with these exercises that will help you remember the good times, make new memories and plan for what’s next.

Remember the Good Times

Having difficulty with memory is a common cognitive symptom of Parkinson’s disease (PD). When it comes to long-term memory, memories from the distant past are often more preserved than recent memories.

Exercise you mind and stimulate your long-term memory with these activities:

1. Make a scrapbook ― digital or print.

2. Watch old movies or catch up with PD educational videos on our YouTube channel ― watch videos that share tips from people in the PD community to caregiving to videos in Spanish.

3. Stay social. Contact an old friend or make new ones by calling our Helpline at 1-800-4PD-INFO (473-4636) to find your nearest support group or wellness class.

4. Listen to your favorite summer songs.

Make New Memories

As Parkinson’s progresses, some may experience trouble with short-term memory and retaining new information. Exercise is a the most important activity you can do to keep your body and brain healthy.

Challenge this part of your brain with these activities:

5. Read books. Visit our PD library and start with Cognition: A Mind Guide to Parkinson’s. Reading is a complex task that requires multiple parts of the brain to work together.

6. Listen to our podcast. New to podcasts? Challenge yourself to learn how to subscribe and listen to the episodes that interest you the most.

7. Host a virtual game or karaoke night.

8. Exercise. Commit to a new at-home workout routine with virtual Fitness Friday exercise classes. Intense exercise can improve efficiency of your brain cells using dopamine and lessen PD symptoms.

9. Enjoy the outdoors. Remember to be safe, use your face mask and practice social distancing.

10. Bring nature indoors. Order a birdhouse kit online and hang it near a window, learn how to compost or start a garden!

Plan for the Future

The global pandemic most likely interrupted some of your plans for 2020. Take this at-home time to exercise optimism and plan for the new memories you would like to create.

Think big with these activities:

11. Make a travel bucket list. Engage your brain’s executive function and begin planning the options that seem most appealing, like a 2021 family trip or weekend getaway.

12. Try an educational webinar. Register for all the upcoming free Expert Briefings webinars that interest you. Stimulate some neurons by learning something new.

13. Write your PD story. Creativity provides excellent mental stimulation. Vary your activity to keep the mind strong and healthy. Submit your My PD Story.

14. Plan to attend a Parkinson’s Foundation event. Whether in-person or online, attending social events help you retain cognitive sharpness.

15. Take steps to #Plan4PD. It is never too late or early to plan for Parkinson’s. Not sure where to start? Order our hospital safety kit and check out different ways you can plan for PD from home. 

Join us on social media to #SummerOn with the Parkinson’s Foundation for summer activities, tips, resources and more.