Objective: The current proposal discusses findings from a one- day community-based educational event for participants with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and their families living in a rural community in Oklahoma.

Background: Approximately 9,000 people are currently living with PD in Oklahoma (Parkinson’s Foundation, 2020). It is the second most common degenerative disorder affecting people over the age of 65 years with 60,000 Americans newly diagnosed each year (Poewe et al., 2017). The effects of PD on a person’s life is multifactorial with depression reported to exist in approximately 40-50% of individuals with PD. It is often reported to be the single most contributory factor associated with decline in quality of life (Menza et al., 2009). The main treatment of depression associated with PD is appropriate education. A clear perception of effects of PD and its related progression can help avoid depression and social isolation among not only individuals with PD but also their loved ones. Therefore, there is a critical need to improve the awareness and knowledge of existing resources among both individuals with PD and their families.

Method: The current study includes outcomes from a single day educational event for individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and their family members. The event included five different presentations focusing on medical symptoms associated with PD, current medications available, psychosocial aspects, legal aspects, and benefits of laughter yoga. The event was attended by a total of 65 participants including individuals with PD and their family members. Attendees filled out a paper-survey at the end of the day by rating the provided resources, relevance of the topics, and possible interest in attending similar events.

Results: Approximately 35 participants including individuals with PD and their spouse or family member completed the surveys. Some of the comments included “Very informative for people who have just begun this journey”, “Easy to understand”, and “Inspirational and encouraging”. All of the attendees indicated the presentations to be beneficial and expressed a strong interest about attending similar education events in the future.

Conclusion: The surveys indicated a positive impact of the event among the attendees. Additional events in similar rural communities can be beneficial to improve the quality of life of both individuals with PD and their primary caregivers.

References: Ball, L.J., Beukelman, D.R., & Pattee, G.L. (2004). Communicative effectiveness of individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Journal of Communication Disorders, 37, 197-215. Menza, M., Dobkin, R.F., Marin, H., Mark, M.H., Gara, M., Buyske, S., … , Dicke, A.. (2009). The impact of treatment of depression on quality of life, disability and relapse in patients with Parkinson’s disease. Movement Disorders, 24(9), 1325-1332. Miller, N. (2012). Speech, voice and language in Parkinson’s disease: Changes in intervention. Neurodegenerative Disease Management, 2(3), 279-289. Parkinson’s Foundation. (2020). Retrieved on February 6, 2020 from https://www.parkinson.org/Understanding-Parkinsons/Statistics?_ga=2.72066199.580164167.1554047767-1543185907.1554047767 Poewe, W., Seppi, K., Tanner, C.M., Halliday, G.M., Brundin, P., Volkmann, J., … , Lang, A.E. (2017). Parkinson disease. Nature Reviews Disease Primers, 3, 17013. doi: 10.1038/nrdp.2017.13. Ware, J. E., Jr. (1999). SF-36 Health Survey. In M. E. Maruish (Ed.). The use of psychological testing for treatment planning and outcomes assessment (pp. 1227-1246). New Jersey: Mahwah, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers. Yorkston, K., Beukelman, D., Strand, E., & Bell, K. (1999). Management of motor speech disorders in children and adults (2nd ed.). Austin, TX: Pro-Ed.

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