April is Parkinson's Awareness Month

April can be an exciting time in centers and clinics around the world as Parkinson's Awareness Month is recognized and celebrated. NPF has a number of suggestions to raise awareness for individuals as well as for centers. I actually put together a handout with easy ideas and have left it in our waiting room for patients to pick up. Easy ideas like attending a PD fundraiser or planning a casual day at the office to raise funds and awareness, or ordering a t-shirt or wristband from www.pdf.org. Raising awareness activities can be a very empowering part of managing life with PD.

Would love to hear other ideas or activities that you have been involved in with Parkinson's Awareness Month!

Elaine

Celebrate Social Workers

It is National Social Work Month! Hooray for us! Check out your local and national organizations for a variety of events being held to recognize the valuable work we do.

As I skimmed through some websites, the themes for present and past Social Work month celebrations do nicely describe our roles in society.

Social work matters
Social workers change futures
Social work inspires
Social work means purpose and possibility
Social workers stand up for others
Social work: Building on Strengths
Social work: Help start here
Social work helps people help themselves
Social work: building relationships, strengthening community and partnering for change

Happy Social Work Month!

Elaine

Institute for Health Care Improvement

Just wanted to share an interesting educational opportunity that I recently discovered. The Institute for Health Care Improvement offers free live interactive audio broadcasts on a variety of different topics with expert guest speakers. Recently I participated in a broadcast on end of life preferences and it was really interesting. They also have past broadcasts archived so you can listen to programs that have already occurred. The website also lists upcoming programs. For those of us in Canada, it sometimes has a USA slant, but some of the programs may still be of interest.
Enjoy!
Elaine

Mindfulness

While mindfulness practice has been around for a long time, it is really gaining popularity. So I have been on the search for simple materials to introduce mindfulness to my patients.

I came across some good information on mindfulness and chronic illness on the Northwest Parkinsons Foundation website (nwpf.org) I found it under the wellness tab, then under persoanl healing, then personal healing tips and the specific article is called Silence the Mind with Mindfulness Therapy. If anyone else has a mindfulness resource, please share!

The start of December tends to be the start of a busy time for many. Perhaps we can all benefit from some mindfulness practice!

Best of the holiday season to all!
Elaine

Aware in Care project

Hi there
Just heard from NPF that the www.awareincare.org site should be live November 18th!
Check it out!
Elaine

2011 NPF Center Leadership Conference

The NPF Leadership conference was recently held in Chicago with great representation from Social Work! In addition to the speakers and poster session, the social workers had the opportunity to meet over lunch to share information about the social work role at their centres as well as an exchange of ideas.

NPF also launched the Aware in Care campaign (designed to help people with PD get the best care possible when hospitalized) and I would encourage all of you to look at the website (www.awareincare.org) to learn more about it.

Janis Miyasaki, neurologist at Toronto Western Hospital Movement Disorders Center, presented on Palliative care and PD with some new and interesting ways of looking at advanced PD. Her power point may?? be available on the NPF website.

If anyone else who attended would like to share a highlight from the meeting, please do!

Elaine

PSP caregiver support

Hi everyone,
I am working with a caregiver of a patient with PSP and he is looking to connect with other caregivers of PSP. He (and I) have done some internet searching to find a chat room or online support but have not found anyting. Does anyone know of such on line support for caregivers of PSP patients?
Thanks
Elaine

DBS Support Group

Thanks, Elaine, for taking this on. It is certainly worthwhile. I have obtained some helpful information from this site.

Now, a question to all the social workers out there..........does anyone offer a support group for DBS patients? I have facilitated a DBS Support Group since January, 2007. I am curious to hear about other such groups, especially in Canada.

The fall is a time for new beginnings

Hello everyone,
Just a note to say I have agreed to challenge myself and try to follow in the footsteps of Jason's wonderful work on this blog. As I am only somewhat technilogically capable, I am spending a bit of time learning how to manage the blog and feed interesting articles etc.

I am also wondering if anyone is going to the NPF conference in Chicago at the end of October. If so, I would like to suggest the social workers together at lunch perhaps on Friday and have a chance to share information and ideas.

Send me a note at elaine.book@vch.ca if you are going to be there.

Until the next post,
Elaine

It has been a pleasure

It is with mixed emotions that I write this blog entry.  I have decided to take a new job in Palliative Care and will be leaving the Parkinson Center of Oregon on 05/05/11. I am very excited about this new opportunity but it is definitely difficult to leave the Parkinson Center of Oregon and the greater Parkinson community. It has been a pleasure and a privilege connecting with you all at national conventions and learning about all the great programs you offer families with Parkinson's disease. I do not know what my future availability will be to manage Neurology Social Worker, so if anyone would like to take over administrative duties for this blog, please send me a message through our google group.

It has been a pleasure.

Jason Malcom