Who Can Use the Kit

If you are living with Parkinson’s, you know that preparation is essential to making the most of each day. The Aware in Care kit will help you prepare for your next hospital stay. The tools and information in your kit will also help protect you when you travel or in case of an emergency.

The Parkinson’s Foundation recommends you take the following steps:

• Order your kit here or call our Helpline at 1-800-4PD-INFO (1-800-473-4636) to learn more.
• Read the Hospital Action Plan booklet. Take the time to understand how to use each item in your kit and how to prepare for either a planned or emergency hospital visit.
• Pack your Aware in Care kit. Add an emergency contact list, an extra supply of your Parkinson’s medications in their original bottles, a completed Medication Form and a copy of your healthcare proxy card.
• Put the Medical Alert Card in your wallet and wear your new Parkinson’s ID Bracelet. These two items work together to help alert healthcare workers about your Parkinson’s diagnosis in case of an emergency.
• Talk to your caregiver, Parkinson’s doctor and primary care physician about Aware in Care. Let them know about how you are preparing for your next hospital visit and how they can help.
• Tell others about Aware in Care. If you have friends or colleagues living with Parkinson’s, please share Aware in Care with them so that we can raise awareness of these serious issues.

• Order your kit here or call our Helpline at 1-800-4PD-INFO (1-800-473-4636) to learn more.
• Read the Hospital Action Plan booklet. Take the time to understand how to use each item in the kit and how to prepare for a planned or emergency hospital visit.
• Help your loved one pack their Aware in Care kit. Add an emergency contact list, an extra supply of their Parkinson’s medications in their original bottles, a completed Medication Form and a copy of your loved one’s healthcare proxy card.
• Suggest that your loved one with PD puts the Medical Alert Card in their wallet and wear their new Parkinson’s ID Bracelet. These two items work together to help alert healthcare workers about their Parkinson’s diagnosis in case of an emergency situation.
• Share Aware in Care information with your loved one’s doctor and primary care physician. Talk to them about the strategies you will use to try to get better care during the next hospital visit.
• Never leave a person with Parkinson’s alone in the hospital. Ask family and friends to help you the next time your loved one is hospitalized so there is always someone at his or her side during the entire hospital stay. Be sure each person who is helping understands the needs of the patient and is able to communicate those needs to healthcare staff.

As a support group leader, you play a vital role in communicating critical information to people with Parkinson’s, their caregivers and families.

You can use Aware in Care materials to help you discuss the risks that people with Parkinson’s face in the hospital, as well as some of the strategies available to avoid these risks and get high-quality care during the next hospital visit.

The Parkinson’s Foundation recommends you take the following steps:

• Get a sample kit. Call the Parkinson’s Foundation Helpline at 1-800-4PD-INFO (1-800-473-4636) to order a few sample kits to show your members, as well as postcards to let members know how to order their own kits.
• Plan a presentation for your group. Use the Support Group Guide and connect with a Parkinson’s Foundation Ambassador who can speak to your group, virtually or in person, to help members understand the risks of hospitalization and the tools that can help them stay safe in the hospital.

As a health care professional, you strive each day to provide quality care to every patient. Our Aware in Care kit can help you and your team provide quality care to people with Parkinson’s during hospitalization. Our NEW online course for nurses gives an overview on treating people with Parkinson’s in the hospital. Access the full nurse course online for free (with a cost for CEUs).

Watch a video on the Nurse Course Program.

If a person with Parkinson’s arrives in your hospital with an Aware in Care kit, you should know that it was prepared and reviewed by academic experts in Parkinson’s care and the guidance in it is based on the best practices of the top academic medical centers: Parkinson’s Foundation Centers of Excellence.

If you want to get involved, here are some ways you can raise awareness about the needs of people with Parkinson’s in your hospital:

• Make sure your patients get their anti-Parkinson’s medications on time, every time.
• Order an Aware in Care kit. Review the kit to get familiar with the special circumstances that people with Parkinson’s face in the hospital, especially around medication timing and contraindicated medications.
• Share our resources with members of your team. You can share vital information during a staff meeting. If there is a Parkinson’s Foundation Ambassador in your area, we can help set up a presentation about the importance of this initiative.
• Include Parkinson’s and hospitalization as a topic at your next educational event. Utilize our free video.

At the Parkinson’s Foundation, we are committed to preparing future clinicians to care for people living with Parkinson’s, caregivers and families. If you teach students who hope to become the doctors, nurses, physician assistants, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, or social workers, we would love to arm you with the tools to teach them about the importance of the Aware in Care kit as a free resource to share with their future patients/clients.

Here are some ways you can raise awareness about the needs of people with Parkinson’s with your students:

• Order an Aware in Care kit. Review the kit to get familiar with the special circumstances that people with Parkinson’s face in the hospital, especially around medication timing and contraindicated medications.
• Share Aware in Care with your students. We would love to see you include the kit in your curriculum. Connect with us to host a Parkinson’s Foundation Ambassador presentation, which can be virtual or in-person depending on your area, that can highlight the importance of the this initiative. If not, share our video with your students.
• Attend one of our Train the Trainer programs for Faculty. The Edmond J. Safra Visiting Nurse Faculty Program and the Physical Therapy Faculty Program allow nurse and physical therapy educators to immerse themselves in learning the latest evidence-based findings in Parkinson's research and care which helps them to prepare their students to care for people living with Parkinson’s, their caregivers and families.

Whether you are a doctor, nurse, physician assistant, physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech-language pathologist, social worker or other clinician who provides care to people with PD, you play a vital role in communicating critical information to people with Parkinson’s and their caregivers.

We are happy to supply a demo kit for any clinician who treats people with Parkinson’s and is willing to share the kit with their patients/clients. You can use Aware in Care materials to help you discuss the risks that people with Parkinson’s face in the hospital, as well as some of the strategies available to avoid these risks and get high-quality care during the next hospital visit.

The Parkinson’s Foundation recommends you take the following steps:

• Get a sample kit. Call the Parkinson’s Foundation Helpline at 1-800-4PD-INFO (1-800-473-4636) to order a few sample kits to show your patients/clients, as well as postcards to let them know how to order their own kits.
• Enroll in a professional education course. We focus on best-practice care training, providing the latest information and increasing access to free educational tools for doctors, nurses and care team members. Explore our professional education opportunities and register for a Team Training course — our program that teaches medical professionals from diverse disciplines the best techniques in Parkinson's care over an intensive three-day interactive curriculum.