Book resources

Hello all,
I was just recently at the NPF Allied Team Training for Parkinson (ATTP) meeting in Denver and in talking with other social workers, I shared some good book titles and thought I should share them with everyone. Some of you may know of these, but I thought I would still share. 

Hard Choices for Loving People by Hank Dunn and available at www.hardchoices.com

PD: Mind, Mood and Memory is available through NPF

Psychiatric Issues in PD by Matthew Menza and Laura Marsh

Health Connect: a practical guide to community outreach is available at www.medtronic.com/community

Patient Education for People with PD and their carers by Marcia Smith Pasqualini and Gwenda Simons.

Please feel free to share any gems that you may have on your bookshelf!!

Best,
Elaine

Allied Team Training Program, NPF

Just wanted to send a note alerting all social workers that the  next Allied Team Training Program with NPF is planned for March 6-9 in Denver. This is an excellent opportunity to immerse yourself in PD and to connect with other social workers, teams, and centres to learn and share ideas about working with people/families with Parkinson's. 

If you would like more information, please look at the NPF website under "professionals" or feel free to contact me.

Best
Elaine

NPF Centre Leadership Conference

Hi there
Just realized that the centre leadership conference in Miami is next week and I am wondering if any of you might be attending and if so, would you like to meet together at lunch as we have done in the past. With a shortened conference, networking time is limited and thought lunch might be a chance to connect...
Elaine

Travel tips

Well summer has finally arrived in Western Canada and our patients are talking alot about travel over the next few months. You may already be aware of a great travel tip sheet available on the NPF website called "Parkinson's Onboard: Traveling with PD".  At this time of year, I make a few copies and leave them in our waiting room for patients to pick up!

If anyone has any other similar resources, feel free to share.
Enjoy the summer
Elaine

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