April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month
In honor of Parkinson’s Awareness Month, we wanted to share some helpful educational resources from around the web for both those with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and their caregivers.
Parkinson’s Statistics
- Nearly one million people in the U.S. are living with Parkinson’s Disease.
- Nearly 90,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with PD each year.
- Men are 1.5 times more likely to have Parkinson’s disease than women.
Parkinson’s Websites
For Parkinson’s Awareness Month, the Parkinson’s Foundation created the ABCs of PD to raise awareness of the myriad of symptoms of Parkinson’s and connect people to their extensive library of resources. It’s everything “you need to know about Parkinson’s disease—from A to Z.” You can explore the A to Zs of Parkinson’s here and learn more about each topic by exploring the PD Library.
The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research is “dedicated to finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease through an aggressively funded research agenda and to ensuring the development of improved therapies for those living with Parkinson’s today.” Their website also contains a plethora of resources and support for both patients and caregivers.
The American Parkinson Disease Association has a special section dedicated to helping our veterans find Parkinson’s resources. Because of exposure to pesticides, or herbicides—particularly during the Vietnam War—veterans may have an increased risk of developing Parkinson’s.
Here in Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Parkinson’s Alliance will connect you with exercise therapy, speech therapy, educational resources, support groups and more. They have partnered with Saint Simeon’s to offer a support group the first Friday of every month that is open to Parkinson’s patients and their caregivers and their Parkinson’s Rally Walk raises funds to support the work they do to “inspire hope and transform lives for Oklahoma Parkinson’s families” and celebrate those living with Parkinson’s.
Parkinson’s Podcasts
If you prefer listening over reading (or just want information in different formats), there are a great many podcasts about living with and/or caring for someone with Parkinson’s Disease.
On Time: A Parkson’s Podcast from the Brian Grant Foundation https://briangrant.org/on-time-podcast/
The Michael J. Fox Foundation Parkinson’s Podcast https://www.michaeljfox.org/podcasts
Parkinson’s Foundation’s podcast Substantial Matters: Life and Science of Parkinson’s https://www.parkinson.org/resources-support/online-education/podcast
Davis Phinney Foundation for Parkinson’s The Parkinson’s Podcast https://davisphinneyfoundation.org/the-parkinsons-podcast/
Movers & Shakers: A Podcast about life with Parkinson’s https://www.moversandshakerspodcast.com/
The Secret Life of Parkinson’s by 5Kforjk.org https://www.youtube.com/@thesecretlifeofparkinsons
Parkinson’s Care at Saint Simeon’s
“We looked around, but Saint Simeon’s is the best place for Parkinson’s care. Our doctor agrees. They’re specially trained to work with Parkinson’s patients and they have Parkinson’s-specific equipment. Best of all, they’re actually comfortable with Parkinson’s patients—which is a comfortable, secure feeling for all of us.”
—Wife of a Saint Simeon’s Parkinson’s Care Resident
Saint Simeon’s provides Parkinson’s Care at all levels of care in our community. From Assisted Living to Skilled Nursing Care to Memory Care, if your loved one’s needs change, they can continue to live at Saint Simeon’s. Up to 80% of PD patients eventually develop dementia. Not everyone with dementia needs a secure Memory Care area, but if your loved one eventually does, we offer Memory Care at both the Assisted Living and Skilled Nursing (Long-Term Care) level.
All our staff, even those not directly involved in resident care, receive Parkinson’s Training through the Parkinson’s Foundation’s Community Partners in Parkinson’s Care program. This training covers more than just the basics of Parkinson’s symptoms. It provides practical guidance on assisting those experiencing Parkinson’s symptoms. This ongoing training, site visits, and questionnaires sent to families mean our staff stays up to date on how to best care for our Parkinson’s Residents.
For more information about Parkinson’s Care at Saint Simeon’s don’t hesitate to contact us today.
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