Educational Events

Let's Talk About It

9:00 am to 11:30 am MDT
Free
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There are many non-motor challenges associated with Parkinson’s disease that may not always be easy to discuss. With a focus on depression, apathy and cognition, this program will provide strategies for coping and talking about these issues with healthcare providers and loved ones.

This program is open to people with Parkinson's, their family, friends and the community. There is no charge to attend, but registration is required as in-person seating is limited.

Speakers
Sephira Ryman, PhD, MS, Mind Research Network
Davin Quinn, MD, FACLP, University of New Mexico

Chapter Supporters
The Parkinson’s Foundation is grateful for the unwavering support of our Program Sponsors. We invite you to view our full list of sponsors and learn more about them by visiting our Chapter Supporters Webpage.

Seed for Success

COVID SAFETY: The health and safety of our participants, sponsors, volunteers and staff are our top priority. We continue to monitor CDC recommendations and will adhere to state and local COVID guidelines in place on the event day. Adjustments will be made if necessary.

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My PD Story

Adam Riemer and his parents
Family Members

Adam Riemer

My mom, Stepheny, would always say, “If you are creative, you will never be bored.” Her imagination and optimism stayed intact, even after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD) in 2007. She was a talented visual artist, and her diverse portfolio ranges in scale, subject and medium.

Her advice to everyone was always to accentuate the positive. Despite her health challenges, including a tremor impacting her right side, she managed to heed her own advice and continued pursuing her passions. She would spend afternoons in art class, learning new techniques like woodblock printmaking and collage. She inspired me to look at everything with a creative lens, from my work in real estate development to television, film production and photography.

Shortly after my mom passed in January 2022, I was presented with the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be part of the producing team for A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical. As my first foray into Broadway, this musical was a natural fit, especially since I knew Neil was involved.

I have fond memories of listening to Neil’s greatest hits on vinyl with my mom — a true fan. I was also aware of Neil’s personal battle with Parkinson’s disease, and I knew this musical could be a platform to spread awareness for PD.

In honor of Parkinson’s Awareness Month, I am thrilled to announce that the producing team of A Beautiful Noise is raising money for the Parkinson’s Foundation. I am incredibly grateful to the other producers, investors, company members and theatergoers who have already contributed to this important cause.

I try to be like my mom every day. She exuded kindness, optimism, compassion and creativity. She will always be my inspiration. I know she would be very proud of everything I have accomplished.

Please support the Parkinson's Foundation in honor of my mom, Neil Diamond and the 90,000 people diagnosed with Parkinson's disease each year.

DONATE NOW

Educational Events

Finding Connection and Support While Living with PD

Virtual ( Zoom )
1:00 pm to 2:00 pm EST
Free
REGISTER FOR VIRTUAL
Couple sitting on the couch on a tablet

Wellness Wednesdays: Mental Wellness Series

People with Parkinson’s disease (PD) experience a wide range of mood, thinking and physical changes that can negatively impact how they engage with the world around them. Trouble moving, fear, or even stigma surrounding the diagnosis may lead to avoiding social situations. Interestingly, research suggests that lack of social connection may impact quality of life even more than tremor. Connecting with people who can relate to your experience, accepting support and finding ways to engage with your family, friends and community can help you overcome isolation and improve your quality of life. 

Join us for a candid, virtual discussion about the benefits and challenges of maintaining strong social ties in Parkinson’s.

Speakers

Travis Turner, PhD, Neuropsychologist
Assistant Professor and Director of the Neuropsychology Division, Medical University of South Carolina

Indira Subramanian, MD, Movement Disorder Specialist
Director VA Southwest VAMC Parkinson's Disease Research, Education and Clinical Center (PADRECC); Clinical Professor, Department of Neurology, Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA

Alharvey Parker, Person with Parkinson’s

Gregory Monroe, Person with Parkinson's

Tracy Montoya, Person with Parkinson's

There is no charge to attend, but registration is required.

This is a virtual program, taking place live, using the online Zoom platform. Instructions on joining the webinar are provided after registering.

Special thanks to our sponsor:

Sage Therapeutics

 

PD Health @ Home is presented by the Light of Day Foundation, whose generosity has made this programming possible.

Light of Day

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Educational Events

Unidos: Aprendamos sobre la enfermedad de Parkinson

Virtual ( Zoom )
9:00 am to 12:30 pm CDT
Gratis
REGISTER FOR VIRTUAL

Acompáñenos para un programa educativo en Chicago, IL. Escuche a especialistas en Parkinson, además de conocer recursos y la oportunidad de participar en el estudio de PDGENEration.

Entenderá cómo avanza la enfermedad de Parkinson, aprenderá cómo afecta el Parkinson a la salud mental, conocerá los beneficios de los ejercicios y aumentará su conocimiento acerca de los estudios de investigación.

Inscríbase en persona

Inscríbase en línea

Este programa es gratuito y está disponible para cualquier persona interesada, incluyendo a las personas con Parkinson y sus familiares, amigos, personas de apoyo y promotores de salud.

Para los asistentes presenciales: Registro, brunch, visitas a los auspiciantes y mesa PD GENE a las 9:00 a.m.

Para los asistentes virtuales, a través de Zoom: La transmisión en directo será de 10:00 a.m. a 12:15 p.m. horas.

SEGURIDAD COVID: La salud y seguridad de nuestros participantes, patrocinadores, voluntarios y personal son nuestra máxima prioridad. Seguimos pendientes de las recomendaciones de los CDC y nos apegaremos a los lineamientos estatales y locales en vigor el día del evento referentes a COVID. Se harán ajustes, de ser necesario.

Raise Awareness

Take 6 Minutes to Help Raise Parkinson’s Awareness

Parkinson's Awareness Month

April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month, a time when the Parkinson’s community comes together to raise awareness for Parkinson’s disease (PD). Our new incidence study found that every 6 minutes, someone will be diagnosed with Parkinson’s in the U.S.

This month, we want everyone to #Take6forPD — take 6 minutes to help us raise Parkinson’s awareness. There are many ways you can raise awareness, such as participating in research, finding expert care or educating your community about PD.

Read on to learn how you can #Take6forPD:

#Take6forPD to Advance Research

Take 6 for PD to Advance Research Checklist

In the U.S., 90,000 people will be diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease this year. Take 6 minutes to help us advance PD research aimed to improve treatments and find a cure.  

SHARE THE CHECKLIST ON SOCIAL MEDIA

#Take6forPD to Improve Access to Care 

Improve Access to Care checklist

Research shows that seeing a Parkinson’s specialist can lead to better outcomes. Take 6 minutes to help improve access to high-quality PD care. 

  • Call our free Helpline. Call 1-800-4PD-INFO (1-800-473-4636) to ask a PD question, get a referral or find a nearby exercise class.  
  • Find expert care in your area. Enter your zip code to find a medical center near you and your local chapter.  
  • Order or download a hospital safety kit. These tools will help you advocate for your best care when hospitalized. 
  • Read a PD publication. Browse our free resource library to deep dive into a PD topic that is important to you.
  • Register for a PD Health @ Home event. Designed for the PD community, these weekly online events allow you to access at-home resources all year long.

SHARE THE CHECKLIST ON SOCIAL MEDIA

#Take6forPD to Help Empower & Educate

Take 6 for PD to Empower and Educate Checklist

Finding the right information and resources early in the Parkinson’s journey can make life better for people with PD. Take 6 minutes to feel empowered through educational resources. 

  • Join our e-mail list. Be the first to know what’s happening in Parkinson’s research and care. 
  • Share our PD infographic on Facebook or Instagram. Help us raise awareness that 90,000 people are diagnosed with PD every year in the U.S.
  • Register for an educational or local event. Connect with the PD community, either in-person or virtually.
  • Subscribe or listen to our podcast. Substantial Matters: Life and Science of Parkinson’s highlights the treatments, techniques and research that can help you live a better life now.
  • Complete our 60 Miles in April Facebook Challenge. Join hundreds of others in taking the challenge to bike, run or walk 60 miles this month to raise awareness for Parkinson’s.

SHARE THE CHECKLIST ON SOCIAL MEDIA

 

No matter how you choose to #Take6forPD this month, know that you are making a difference in the lives of people with Parkinson’s.

Take 6 minutes to help create a world without Parkinson’s at Parkinson.org/Awareness. 

Educational Events

Managing Changing Symptoms

1:00 pm to 3:30 pm CDT
FREE
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Check-in and resource tables start at 12:00 p.m.
A light lunch will be provided.

After many years of good symptom management, Parkinson’s disease may become more challenging. Learn how Parkinson’s symptoms may change over time and new strategies available for managing them. 

Speaker from KU Medical Center, a Parkinson's Foundation Center of Excellence:

Muhammad Nashatizadeh, MD
Clinical Associate Professor 
Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorder Center

This program is open to people with Parkinson's, their family, friends, and the community. There is no charge to attend, but registration is required.

Attend in-person

Parking: Parking is complimentary for attendees of the program. 

COVID SAFETY: The health and safety of our participants, sponsors, volunteers and staff are our top priority. We continue to monitor CDC recommendations and will adhere to state and local COVID guidelines in place on the event day. Adjustments will be made if necessary.

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My PD Story

Claudia Klapp and mom
Family Members

Claudia Klapp

In 2008, my sister Cecilia noticed our mom was having difficulty walking. This was further noticeable during Cecilia’s wedding in February 2009, by a little stooped posture and slow movement. Mom was also suffering from episodes of unexplained pain, so we decided to visit a neurologist. Mom was diagnosed with Parkinson´s disease (PD) in 2009, at 58 years old. The diagnosis was unexpected and confusing.

From that moment on, life turned upside down: for her and for the whole family. The search to gather answers and ways to slow progression of the disease began. We later learned that signs of Parkinson’s had started showing up in her 30s, when she lost her sense of smell.

Claudia Klapp and family

Mom has always been a role model and inspiration to my sisters and me. She had a brilliant career as a professor teaching social work at a Chilean university. While pregnant with my little sister, Constanza, in her 30s, she earned a master’s degree in teaching social work from the Catholic University of America. Likely by that time, Parkinson’s disease was already starting to affect her. My mother is amazing and inspiring. In between her career achievements, she has always been a wonderful and devoted wife, mother, mother-in-law and grandmother.

Certainly, living with PD has not been a pleasant journey for my mother — there have been ups and downs all the way. After her retirement, she has demonstrated incredible courage and determination to do what she loves: authoring and co-authoring publications in social work, writing poetry (inspired by Gabriela Mistral, a Chilean Poet), walking, gardening and joining support groups to stay socially active. Her fight against Parkinson’s disease is a tremendous inspiration that will forever be stored in my heart and memory.

This is how I would summarize her overall outlook on life:

  • Courage to face the difficulties Parkinson’s has put in front of her.
  • Braveness to look forward and keep moving ahead.
  • Positivity in the middle of a hard journey.
  • Resilience to stand up and move on.
  • Understanding that there are bad days, but they will pass sooner or later.

My pop, Eduardo, is mom’s caregiver and life partner. Together, our family stays strong for mom. She has always supported us, and now it is our time to give her hope, support, love and caring back.

The Parkinson’s Foundation is a wonderful organization that helps people with Parkinson’s disease live better lives. Their work continues to increase my hope for a cure.

Learn more about how you can support a loved one living with Parkinson’s.

Educational Events

Personality Crash: The Intersection of Art and Science in PD

Virtual ( Zoom )
10:30 am to 1:00 pm CDT
FREE
REGISTER FOR VIRTUAL
Personality Crash

Check-in starts at 10 a.m.
Live Stream starts at 10:30 a.m.
View Exhibit and Chat with the Artist from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Join Artist and caregiver, Safi Alia Shabaik, as she shares her father’s end-of-life journey with Parkinson’s disease, dementia and sundowner's syndrome. This event will also include conversations with experts and people living with Parkinson’s on topics such as family caregiving, creativity and Parkinson’s, end-of-life care, and dignified death.

The images in this exhibit and the program discussion may generate a wide variety of reactions and emotions. It is one family’s journey and does not reflect everyone’s experience. Our goal is to bring awareness and understanding, through art and storytelling, to topics that may not always be discussed.

There is no charge to attend, but registration is required.

This event is part of the Artist’s exhibit that includes photographs, audio recordings and objects documenting her father’s end-of-life journey with Parkinson’s, dementia and sundowner's syndrome. The exhibit opens on Saturday, April 1 at 3 p.m. and continues through April 30 at 1100 Florence Gallery in Evanston.

Gallery Hours: Wednesdays & Fridays 5-8 p.m., Saturdays & Sundays 12-5 p.m.

This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

National Endowment of the Arts

COVID SAFETY: The health and safety of our participants, sponsors, volunteers and staff are our top priority. We continue to monitor CDC recommendations and will adhere to state and local COVID guidelines in place on the event day. Adjustments will be made if necessary.

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Videos & Webinars

Expert Briefing: Parkinson’s & Medications - What's New

March 8, 2023

There are many medications to help improve quality of life for people with Parkinson’s disease. However, people respond to medications differently. What works for one may not necessarily work for another. Learn about the advances in Parkinson’s treatments for movement and non-movement symptoms and where we are on the path to personalized medicine.

Download Slides

Additional Resources

Presenter

Tanya Simuni, MD, Arthur C. Nielson Jr. Professor of Neurology, Director
Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, A Parkinson's Foundation Center of Excellence
Chicago, Illinois

Educational Events

Live Fitness Fridays - Functional Fitness with Parkinson Wellness Recovery

Virtual ( Zoom )
1:00 pm to 1:45 pm EST
FREE
REGISTER FOR VIRTUAL
Couple sitting on the couch on a tablet

Functional Fitness with Parkinson Wellness Recovery - PWR! Gym 

Bend, twist, push, pull, lift, and step in this functional fitness class for Parkinson’s that equips you for the most important type of physical fitness, REAL LIFE!

Equipment Needed: Sturdy armless chair, weights, yoga mat, and water bottle.

Please keep a bottle of water nearby. Enjoy the session!

Instructors

Jennifer Bazan-Wigle and Pandora Larsen
Parkinson Wellness Recovery- PWR! Gym

There is no charge to attend, but registration is required. This program is open to people with Parkinson's, their family, friends and the community.

PD Health @ Home is presented by the Light of Day Foundation, whose generosity has made this programming possible.

Light of Day

This is a virtual program, taking place live, using the online Zoom platform. Instructions on joining the webinar are provided after registering.

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