Northwestern Hosts Workshops to Offer Parkinson’s Patients and Caregivers Information and Support

Northwestern Medicine experts will provide education and support to help manage life with Parkinson’s disease

 

Northwestern’s Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center  will host two workshops this spring to help those impacted by Parkinson’s better understand the disease and its management. A neurodegenerative disorder, Parkinson’s progresses over time causing symptoms, as well as its burden, to change as the disease evolves. Education to gain a better understanding of the disease is an important tool to help Parkinson’s patients manage their illness and thrive.

“Parkinson’s disease impacts the whole family, not just the patient,” said Diane Breslow, MSW, LCSW, social worker and center coordinator of Northwestern Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center. “The disease plays a significant role in the life of a patient’s family and caregivers. Our goal is to not only provide exceptional clinical care and access to research, but to also provide our patients and their families with information and support.”

The upcoming workshops are designed to help families deal with both the physical and emotional effects of Parkinson’s disease. On Saturday, April 14, experts will host “All About the Caregiver”, a learning opportunity for people caring for people with Parkinson’s. The workshop will provide information and resources, discuss coping strategies and offer an opportunity for participants to talk with other caregivers and share experiences. A second event, “Parkinson’s Disease and You: News and Know-How” will take place on May 5, serving as a symposium for the whole family. Topics of discussion will include research, treatment and managing Parkinson’s, and exercise. Both events will include professionally-led presentations and interactive sessions.

All About the Caregiver
Saturday, April 14
9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s Feinberg Pavilion,
251 E. Huron Street, Chicago, Ill. 3rd Floor

Program:
• Affirming the Caregiver Experience – Diane Breslow, MSW, LCSW, social worker and center coordinator of Northwestern Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center
• Face to Face: Parkinson’s Disease Caregiver Panel Discussion – Moderator: Trupti Patel, MPP, program associate, Northwestern’s Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center
• Time Together: An opportunity for caregivers to meet, greet, and mingle with one another
• Caregiver Resources – Diane Breslow, MSW, LCSW, social worker and center coordinator of Northwestern Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center.
• Relax with Yoga – Frances Asher-Perrin, certified yoga instructor

Parkinson’s Disease and You: News and Know-How
Saturday, May 5
8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Deerfield Hyatt
1750 Lake Cook Road, Deerfield, Ill.

Program:
• News in Parkinson’s Disease Treatment and Research – Cindy Zadikoff, MD, neurologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and assistant professor of neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
• Is Surgery for Me? – Joshua Rosenow, MD, neurosurgeon and director of functional neurosurgery at Northwestern Memorial and associate professor of neurosurgery at the Feinberg School
• Choosing the “Right” Exercise – Summer Shepstone, PT, physical therapist in the movement disorders rehab program of The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
• Caring and Coping – Diane Breslow, MSW, LCSW, social worker and center coordinator of Northwestern Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center

To register for these events, call 312-926-0779, 312-926-8400, or sign up online.

Northwestern’s Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center is the only National Parkinson Foundation Center of Excellence in Illinois. The center provides innovative, multidisciplinary care, while also conducting research to extend knowledge and treatment of movement disorders. For more information, visit Northwestern’s Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center online.