Everyone experiences changes in mood over the course of any given day, week, month, and year. But “mood changes” is a broad term that can mean different things to different people. This guide explains what mood changes can happen in Parkinson’s disease (PD), why people with Parkinson’s might experience these changes and how to treat and cope with them.

Not everyone develops every symptom of Parkinson’s disease, but if you’re affected, non-motor symptoms including depression, anxiety, anger, and irritability can have a huge impact on your quality of life and those around you. The information, tips, and stories included here will provide answers, help you organize thoughts and questions for your medical team and remind you that you are not alone on this Parkinson’s journey

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There are many aspects of cognition: thinking, understanding, learning, remembering, problem solving, language, and more. This guide explains what affects your thinking (age, sleep problems, medications, etc.), and what cognitive changes can happen in Parkinson’s disease. It includes coping tips for both people with Parkinson’s and care partners and stories that show strategies others use to manage their thinking changes.

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People affected by Parkinson’s disease (PD) — those living with Parkinson’s, their family members, their friends, and the healthcare professionals that care for them — are all looking for answers to questions about the disease, its symptoms and treatments.

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You may be listening to this audiobook because you or someone in your life recently received a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Perhaps it was not so recently, but you are now reflecting more on what the diagnosis means for you.

Everyone’s PD story is different. Many people with PD vividly remember the moment they were diagnosed and view it as the beginning of a journey; a new life path. Often, they think back a few years and recognize subtle symptoms they missed at the time.

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This guide takes you through the process of starting, facilitating and maintaining a Parkinson’s support group. Sample meeting guides are included for people with Parkinson’s as well as care partner-only groups. View Appendix A for a full list of resources.

We offer this guide to help first-time support leaders navigate logistics of starting a new group. This guide can also serve as a reference for veteran group leaders looking to improve or adjust how they work with an existing group.

People who treat Parkinson’s disease (PD) and many people with PD know that there is not one typical form of the disease. One thing that may affect its symptoms and course is a person’s genetic make-up. The different genes that are risk factors for PD and the variations between them and even within the same gene may determine how the disease presents, progresses, and responds to treatments. With the aim of uncovering genes and mechanisms responsible for PD, the Parkinson’s Foundation initiated PD GENEration: Mapping the Future of Parkinson’s Disease, a study to look at the genes of 15,000 people with PD and correlate those findings with disease symptoms, progression, and response to treatments.

At the same time, participants in PD GENE will quickly get feedback on their genetic status that may allow them to enter clinical trials specific for the risk factors that they carry. The results will be much more comprehensive than what commercial genetic tests can provide, and it will all be free to the participants, including genetic counseling. In this podcast, neurologist and lead investigator, Dr. Roy Alcalay of Columbia University, a Parkinson’s Foundation Center of Excellence, and patient advocate Anne Hall give some background on the PD GENE genetics initiative.

Released: September 24, 2019

November 2, 2022

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is often thought of as a disease that only involves movement. Yet many people with Parkinson’s experience slowness in thinking, loss of memory, decreased attention span and difficulty finding words. Dementia refers to advanced problems in memory and thinking that interfere with daily activities and quality of life. This webinar will review the various types of dementia, their clinical features as well as ways to manage dementia in Parkinson’s.

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Presenter

James Leverenz, MD
Director, Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health

Sexuality and intimacy can greatly add to quality of life at all adult ages. Sexuality is much more than just physical sexual functioning. It encompasses self-image, attraction to others, and a broad spectrum of emotional components. Certain complex problems may arise for people with Parkinson’s disease (PD), including motor and non-motor symptoms, sexual functioning, diminished pleasure, and changes in relationship dynamics because of PD symptoms or drugs used to treat it. Problems such as under-sexuality or over-sexuality may also occur with PD. These problems need to be recognized and evaluated clinically by someone on the Parkinson’s care team, which may be a neurologist, nurse, physical or occupational therapist, social worker or a sex therapist who is familiar with the disease.

Decades of clinical experience in movement disorders clinics as well as published research has led to practical approaches to these problems. Based on the longstanding relationship with their patients over the course of the disease, clinicians are in a good position to establish rapport with patients and care partners to educate them about potential sexual problems and help them directly or refer them as needs arise. In this podcast, Gila Bronner, director of sex therapy services at the Sheba Medical Center in Israel and a Certified sex therapist and researcher at the Movement Disorders Institute at the medical center, talks about some of the sexual problems one may encounter with PD and offers practical advice for dealing with them and enhancing intimacy.

Released: September 10, 2019

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The information included here will explain the types of medications available to manage motor and non-motor symptoms in the hopes that it will help you to work with your Parkinson’s specialist to find the right balance of medications to help you live well with Parkinson’s.

This book is only available digitally to view, download or print. It is also available in Kindle and audiobook formats.