Educational Events

Self-Motivation and Engaging in Meaningful Activity

Virtual ( Zoom )
1:00 pm to 2:00 pm EST
Free
REGISTER FOR VIRTUAL
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Wellness Wednesday: Function and Mobility Series

Self-motivation drives us to keep going, to take opportunities, and to show commitment to what we want to achieve. In this webinar, we bridge self-motivation with meaningful activity that is tailored to an individual’s needs and preferences. We will explore tasks of daily living, physical function, and the importance of engaging in meaningful activity.

Speaker

Julia Wood, MOT, OTR/L
Director of Professional & Community Education
Lewy Body Dementia Association

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

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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Educational Events

Parkinson's Foundation 101: Resources and Information

9:00 am to 12:00 pm MDT
FREE
Parkinson's Foundation 101 Banner

Check-in starts at 9 a.m. MDT.

Join the Parkinson’s Foundation on Saturday, June 8th at the Aspen Chapel for a Parkinson’s Foundation 101 in-person program highlighting important resources such as recommended exercises, hospital safety, a Helpline available to you and much more.

Light snacks and coffee will be served.

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.

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Educational Events

Parkinson's 101: What You and Your Family Should Know

12:00 pm to 1:00 pm EST
FREE
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Check-in starts at 11:30 a.m. ET.

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.

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 program is hosted by the Parkinson's Foundation Georgia Chapter in partnership with Senior Medicare Patrol.

SMP

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Fundraising Events

Community Walk Southport

10:00 am to 1:00 pm EST
FREE
Group of people going through the finish line at a Moving Day Walk

Get out and move with your community! Every dollar raised supports the Parkinson’s Foundation mission to make life better for people affected by Parkinson’s disease (PD). At Moving Day Community Walks across the country, we’re fighting Parkinson’s and celebrating movement — proven to help manage Parkinson’s symptoms — and we’re doing it together. The Moving Day Community Walk Program is a complement to the Parkinson’s Foundation Moving Day, A Walk for Parkinson’s. These walks are family-friendly and help the Foundation make life better for people with PD.

The Community Walk program offers volunteers an opportunity to organize a walk in their own community that does not have a Moving Day event. The program leverages the personal experiences and community leadership of passionate volunteers to promote Parkinson’s awareness and raise funds for the Parkinson’s Foundation.

Learn more about bringing an event to your area

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Fundraising Events

Community Walk Millburn

9:00 am to 12:00 pm EST
FREE
Group of people going through the finish line at a Moving Day Walk

Get out and move with your community! Every dollar raised supports the Parkinson’s Foundation mission to make life better for people affected by Parkinson’s disease (PD). At Moving Day Community Walks across the country, we’re fighting Parkinson’s and celebrating movement — proven to help manage Parkinson’s symptoms — and we’re doing it together. The Moving Day Community Walk Program is a complement to the Parkinson’s Foundation Moving Day, A Walk for Parkinson’s. These walks are family-friendly and help the Foundation make life better for people with PD.

The Community Walk program offers volunteers an opportunity to organize a walk in their own community that does not have a Moving Day event. The program leverages the personal experiences and community leadership of passionate volunteers to promote Parkinson’s awareness and raise funds for the Parkinson’s Foundation.

Learn more about bringing an event to your area

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Fundraising Events

Community Walk Fargo

12:00 pm to 2:00 pm CDT
FREE
Group of people going through the finish line at a Moving Day Walk

Get out and move with your community! Every dollar raised supports the Parkinson’s Foundation mission to make life better for people affected by Parkinson’s disease (PD). At Moving Day Community Walks across the country, we’re fighting Parkinson’s and celebrating movement — proven to help manage Parkinson’s symptoms — and we’re doing it together. The Moving Day Community Walk Program is a complement to the Parkinson’s Foundation Moving Day, A Walk for Parkinson’s. These walks are family-friendly and help the Foundation make life better for people with PD.

The Community Walk program offers volunteers an opportunity to organize a walk in their own community that does not have a Moving Day event. The program leverages the personal experiences and community leadership of passionate volunteers to promote Parkinson’s awareness and raise funds for the Parkinson’s Foundation.

Learn more about bringing an event to your area

Upcoming Events

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Fundraising Events

Community Walk Olympia

8:30 am to 12:00 pm PDT
FREE
Group of people going through the finish line at a Moving Day Walk

Get out and move with your community! Every dollar raised supports the Parkinson’s Foundation mission to make life better for people affected by Parkinson’s disease (PD). At Moving Day Community Walks across the country, we’re fighting Parkinson’s and celebrating movement — proven to help manage Parkinson’s symptoms — and we’re doing it together. The Moving Day Community Walk Program is a complement to the Parkinson’s Foundation Moving Day, A Walk for Parkinson’s. These walks are family-friendly and help the Foundation make life better for people with PD.

The Community Walk program offers volunteers an opportunity to organize a walk in their own community that does not have a Moving Day event. The program leverages the personal experiences and community leadership of passionate volunteers to promote Parkinson’s awareness and raise funds for the Parkinson’s Foundation.

Learn more about bringing an event to your area

Fundraising Events

Community Walk Cedar Park

8:00 am to 12:00 pm CDT
FREE
Group of people going through the finish line at a Moving Day Walk

Get out and move with your community! Every dollar raised supports the Parkinson’s Foundation mission to make life better for people affected by Parkinson’s disease (PD). At Moving Day Community Walks across the country, we’re fighting Parkinson’s and celebrating movement — proven to help manage Parkinson’s symptoms — and we’re doing it together. The Moving Day Community Walk Program is a complement to the Parkinson’s Foundation Moving Day, A Walk for Parkinson’s. These walks are family-friendly and help the Foundation make life better for people with PD.

The Community Walk program offers volunteers an opportunity to organize a walk in their own community that does not have a Moving Day event. The program leverages the personal experiences and community leadership of passionate volunteers to promote Parkinson’s awareness and raise funds for the Parkinson’s Foundation.

Learn more about bringing an event to your area

Upcoming Events

View All
Fundraising Events

Community Walk Lisbon

9:00 am to 12:00 pm EST
FREE
Group of people going through the finish line at a Moving Day Walk

Get out and move with your community! Every dollar raised supports the Parkinson’s Foundation mission to make life better for people affected by Parkinson’s disease (PD). At Moving Day Community Walks across the country, we’re fighting Parkinson’s and celebrating movement — proven to help manage Parkinson’s symptoms — and we’re doing it together. The Moving Day Community Walk Program is a complement to the Parkinson’s Foundation Moving Day, A Walk for Parkinson’s. These walks are family-friendly and help the Foundation make life better for people with PD.

The Community Walk program offers volunteers an opportunity to organize a walk in their own community that does not have a Moving Day event. The program leverages the personal experiences and community leadership of passionate volunteers to promote Parkinson’s awareness and raise funds for the Parkinson’s Foundation.

Learn more about bringing an event to your area

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Advancing Research

Meet a Researcher Working to Stop the Spread of Misfolded Proteins in the Brain

Sunil Kumar headshot

Parkinson’s disease (PD) progression occurs in part because of a misfolded protein called alpha-synuclein that spreads in the brain. Alpha-synuclein forms clumps that clog brain cells (including neurons), leading to their eventual deterioration. Over time, the clumping kills neurons and impairs the brain’s ability to produce dopamine, leading to Parkinson’s symptoms.

Sunil Kumar, PhD, a recipient of a Parkinson’s Foundation Stanley Fahn Junior Faculty Award, is working on a new way to stop this spread using foldamers, which mimic the chemical and structural fingerprints of clumping alpha-synuclein and prevent this toxic process.

Foldamers are bioengineered compounds designed to fold into specific shapes, similar to how proteins, like alpha synuclein, fold and behave in the body. Understanding how foldamers fold and their unique structures could lead to the development of new therapeutics.

Dr. Kumar explained that while there is other research being done to prevent alpha-synuclein clumping, his lab’s approach at the University of Denver is unique because they are using foldamer molecules. Many other approaches use either antibodies, which are effective, but large, and have difficulty crossing the blood-brain barrier, or small molecules that are not very specific and therefore not effective in targeting alpha-synuclein.

“We came up with this idea of foldamer molecules, which are as specific as antibodies but they are much smaller in size, allowing them to cross the blood-brain barrier efficiently, which is essential when making a drug for Parkinson’s,” said Dr. Kumar.

“With this foldamer strategy, our lab has identified two or three lead compounds that have advanced through the initial pre-clinical stages,” he said. “We have optimized their activity all the way up to mouse models and they have shown very nice activity to rescue all the Parkinson’s disease phenotypes. We are now in the second phase where we are optimizing their pharmaceutical properties.”

So far, his lab has seen success with this strategy, and he hopes it will lead to a new treatment for people with PD in the future.

“We are very hopeful that once we pass the current testing stage, we can move to the clinical phase and find a drug to stop the progression of the disease or slow it down,” Dr. Kumar said. “This would increase the lifespan of people with Parkinson’s disease, as well as their quality of life.”

Meet more Parkinson’s researchers! Explore our My PD Stories featuring PD researchers.

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