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Join the Parkinson's Foundation Great Lakes Chapter for Navigating Advancing Needs!
Check-in starts at 12:00 p.m. and the program starts at 1:00 p.m.
Navigating Parkinson’s disease involves looking ahead, learning and adjusting as symptoms and needs change. This program addresses some of the challenges of advancing PD and explores strategies to prepare for the future, including how to evolve your care plans and treatments throughout progression so you can live your best life with PD now.
Speakers
Jennifer Saigal, MD
University of Michigan Neurology Clinic
Erin Cecchi, LMSW
University of Michigan Movement Disorders Program
Kristy M. Brown, LMT
University of Michigan Tai Chi Fall Prevention at the Turner Senior Resource Center
There is no charge to attend, but registration is required. This program is open to people with Parkinson's, their families, friends, and the community.
Check-in and Resource Fair 12:00 p.m.
Program starts 1:00 p.m. Program ends 3:00 p.m.
This session focuses on practical ways to weave mindfulness into your daily routine—whether through breath, gentle movement, or stillness—helping you create a sustainable foundation of calm, clarity, and self-support.
This program offers an introduction and basic overview of Parkinson’s disease (PD). PD varies from person to person and changes over time. Discover its causes, common symptoms, available treatments and effective strategies for managing them. Learn practical daily living tips to empower you to take charge of your health and to navigate the challenges of living with PD.
Speaker
Kristen Matulis, DNP, AGNP-C
Movement Disorders, Nurse Practitioner
Department of Neurology
UT Health Science Center at San Antonio
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.
This session focuses on practical ways to weave mindfulness into your daily routine—whether through breath, gentle movement, or stillness—helping you create a sustainable foundation of calm, clarity, and self-support.
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There are many non-motor challenges associated with Parkinson's disease that may not always by easy to discuss. With a focus on cognition and speech, this program will provide strategies for coping and talking about it with healthcare providers or loved ones.
Expert Speakers
Mitesh Lotia, MD
AdventHealth Neuroscience Institute
Jennifer Gelb, MS, CCC-SLP
Speech Language Pathologist
Director of Speech Therapy Services
Lake Centre Rehabilitation
This session focuses on practical ways to weave mindfulness into your daily routine—whether through breath, gentle movement, or stillness—helping you create a sustainable foundation of calm, clarity, and self-support.
This session will focus on each of the areas of exercise, recommended by the Parkinson’s Foundation, including cardio, flexibility, agility, coordination, balance, and strength, while participating in an engaging, fun, and powerful exercise session. Exercises included can be incorporate into your daily exercise regimen, with the goal of maximizing safe, functional mobility and delaying the progression of Parkinson’s disease symptoms.
Equipment needed: sturdy chair, water, towel, light dumbbells if available (may also use bottled water or soup cans, if you do not have access to dumbbells)
Instructor
Allison Boshart, Physical Therapist, DPT
PWR! (Parkinson's Wellness Recovery), Delay the Disease, LSVT Big
Instructor of the Premier Parkinson’s Wellness Program at Miami Valley Hospital North
Alec Heffner, AT, CSCS, TSAC-F, TPI F2
Total Health Works Parkinson's
Instructor of the Premier Health Parkinson’s Wellness Program at Miami Valley Hospital North
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.
This session focuses on practical ways to weave mindfulness into your daily routine—whether through breath, gentle movement, or stillness—helping you create a sustainable foundation of calm, clarity, and self-support.
NeuroBalance™ is Movement Revolution’s comprehensive wellness program designed for individuals at every stage of Parkinson’s Disease. Each session integrates mobility, flexibility, strength, cardiovascular conditioning, and balance training into a single, well-rounded workout.
This whole-body approach supports improved movement quality, better posture, reduced stiffness, and enhanced cardiovascular health — all while promoting neuroplasticity and functional independence. Whether you’re newly diagnosed or managing more advanced symptoms, NeuroBalance™ provides the structure, variety, and expert coaching to keep you moving strong, living well, and staying ahead of Parkinson’s.
Instructor
Eric Johnson,CSCS, CIFT, NES
Founder and CEO, Movement Revolution
Movement Revolution Team
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.
This session focuses on practical ways to weave mindfulness into your daily routine—whether through breath, gentle movement, or stillness—helping you create a sustainable foundation of calm, clarity, and self-support.
More than 110,000 U.S. veterans living with Parkinson’s disease (PD) receive care through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), which offers access to specialized treatment, financial benefits, and dedicated support services. In this webinar, we’ll explore the wide range of resources available to veterans with PD through the VA system, including Parkinson’s Disease Research, Education and Clinical Centers (PADRECCs), affiliated sites, and Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs). Participants will also learn how the Parkinson’s Foundation partners with the VA to provide additional education, tools, and support for veterans and their families.
Speakers
Gretchen Glenn, LCSW
Associate Director of Education
Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center
Philadelphia Parkinson's Disease Research, Education, and Clinical Center
Chair of the National VA Parkinson’s Disease Consortium Education Subcommittee
Helen R. Komninos (McHugh)
NSO Assistant Supervisor
DAV National Service Officer
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.
The Parkinson's Foundation is proud to partner with U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to improve the health, well-being and quality of life for veterans with PD.
This session focuses on practical ways to weave mindfulness into your daily routine—whether through breath, gentle movement, or stillness—helping you create a sustainable foundation of calm, clarity, and self-support.
Understanding the role of genetics in Parkinson’s is helping researchers develop new treatments and move closer to a cure. This webinar will review the basics of genetics and Parkinson’s disease (PD) and explore how genetic changes may influence PD risk and how symptoms progress. Learn more about the Parkinson’s Foundation initiative, PD GENEration: Mapping the Future of Parkinson’s Disease, and why participation is helping to improve our understanding of PD and contribute to better care for individuals.
Speakers
Maggie Caulfield, PhD
Director of Research Programs, Parkinson’s Foundation
Allison Dilliott, PhD
Genomics Lead, Clinical Research, Parkinson's Foundation
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.
This session focuses on practical ways to weave mindfulness into your daily routine—whether through breath, gentle movement, or stillness—helping you create a sustainable foundation of calm, clarity, and self-support.
Exercise and staying active are essential not only for physical health but also for mental and emotional well-being, especially as a veteran living with Parkinson’s disease. This program will address how staying active can positively impact physical symptoms, mood, and overall health. Participants will learn about the benefits of exercise, discover strategies to stay active beyond traditional workouts, and explore meaningful activities that bring joy and purpose.
Hillari Olson, DPT, RYT 200
LSVT BIG®, PWR! Moves® Certified Clinician
Program Coordinator / Physical Therapist
Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Program
Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Emily Hall, LCSW
Southeast PADRECC Senior Social Worker
Central Virginia VA Healthcare System
Konner Kielman, OTD, OTR/L
LSVT BIG® Certified Clinician
Occupational Therapist
Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Program
Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Videos & Webinars
Taking Charge: Strategies for Meaningful Healthcare Visits
May 21, 2025
Navigating Parkinson's disease (PD) requires an active and informed approach to healthcare. This program will encourage individuals living with PD to take charge of their care by providing strategies for effective communication and self-advocacy before, during and after healthcare visits.
Participants will learn how to make the most of each appointment by prioritizing their needs and preparing questions and concerns in advance. Additionally, attendees will gain access to valuable tools and resources from the Parkinson's Foundation to support their journey.
Taylor Rush, PhD
Health Psychologist, Director of Behavioral Services and Interdisciplinary Programs, Center for Neurological Restoration, Cleveland Clinic
Kathleen Blake, MD, MPH
Vice Chair, People with Parkinson's Advisory Council
Muhammad Mahdi Nashatizadeh, MD
Director, Inpatient Movement Disorders
Associate Director, Movement Disorders Fellowship
Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Neurology
University of Kansas School of Medicine
Advancing Research
Meet a Researcher Aiming to Treat Levodopa-induced Dyskinesia
Many people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) use Levodopa, a dopamine-replacement medication, that helps improve quality of life. However, continuous use of levodopa often leads to new movement symptoms called levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID).
Dyskinesias in Parkinson’s disease are involuntary, erratic movements that can affect different parts of the body. It is estimated that more than 50% of people who take levodopa for PD symptoms develop LID, but the neurological reasons behind this phenomenon are still not well understood.
Jeroen Habets, MD, PhD, a recipient of a Parkinson’s Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship, seeks to identify brain wave “biomarkers” of LID, highlighting regions of the brain that go awry during LID. Then, his study will use magnetic stimulation therapy to reduce or eliminate LID completely.
“We are using a noninvasive recording technique to try and understand what happens at the surface of the brain during these periods where patients have dyskinesia,” said Dr. Habets. “We want to better understand what happens when they move involuntarily. We hope to understand better how the whole movement network functions in Parkinson’s disease and specifically this symptom.”
The patterns of neuron activation in the brain used to achieve tasks like movement, memory recall and much more can be observed and measured as brain waves. Different frequencies — the speed and intensity of the patterns — of brain waves are associated with different mental states and activities, such as the slow, calm delta waves of deep sleep or rapid, intense gamma waves of alertness and agitation.
From the lab of Andrea Kühn, MD, at the Charité University Hospital in Berlin, Germany, Dr. Habets uses a machine called a magneto-encephalograph to study participants with PD and visualize the brain wave activity that occurs during bouts of LID.
By measuring each participant’s brain waves patterns and how they change during LID, Dr. Habets hopes to find regions in the brain that could be a target for treatment. His study will use non-invasive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), which involves using guided magnetic waves to affect brain wave activity.
Knowing what regions of the brain and which frequencies of brain waves are involved with LID could lead to personalized TMS treatments that alleviate debilitating levodopa side effects.
“During dyskinesia, some processes at the surface of the brain are more active than they should be or than they normally are,” said Dr. Habets. “Previous research showed that if you use magnetic stimulation, which is noninvasive and transmitted through a coil held over the head, you can give magnetic pulses to decrease activity at the surface of the brain and that patients over the hours afterwards developed less dyskinesia.”
Dr. Habets said finding a way to implement this treatment into patients’ daily lives is still a challenge, but researchers need to better understand dyskinesia to solve that problem.
He is hopeful about the potential of this research and grateful for the donors who make research grants like the one he received from the Parkinson’s Foundation possible.
“These donors are giving us time, giving us the opportunity to learn and to develop ourselves,” said Dr. Habets. “I think it has two big effects. There is a direct effect in the science that we do, but it is also growing careers. These funds, especially for young researchers, are very motivating grants to get and inspire us to move forward in our careers.”
