This program is being conducted at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab (SRAlab) in Chicago and is supported by a community grant from the Parkinson’s Foundation.  

We will host 10 sessions, one each month from November 2019 through August 2020, covering different topics in Parkinson's Disease. All in-person sessions will be at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab and will also be available online.

What are the goals?
• To increase the awareness of neuropsychiatric and non-motor issues in PD
• To provide education, support, and resources for people with PD and their care partners, specifically focused on topics often considered “taboo” or not often discussed
• To improve the quality of life of people with PD and care partners and decrease caregiver burden of those caring for people with PD

Who might benefit?
Both people with PD and their care partners may benefit.

Who qualifies to participate?
Anyone diagnosed with PD or who is a care partner of someone with PD.

What topics will be covered?
For many reasons, cognitive, behavior, and emotional challenges and other non-motor symptoms that can occur in Parkinson’s disease (PD) are not always openly discussed.  In order to address this concern, Dr. Jennifer Goldman, a movement disorders neurologist, and a team of PD experts will lead an educational and support group program covering a variety of topics relevant to neuropsychiatric and non-motor issues in PD. Sessions will feature presentations from our PD care team and guest experts in the field of Movement Disorders and related areas.

Topics that will be covered during the series include:
• Interdisciplinary care and building your care team
• Depression & Anxiety
• Apathy & Fatigue
• Cognition & Psychosis
• Non-Motor fluctuations
• Sleep
• Vision and sensory changes
• Nutrition, speech and swallowing
• Intimacy and relationships
• Bowel, bladder and blood pressure issues


Event Details:
This monthly ten part series will feature:
• Both in-person events for those able to travel to Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, and similar web/online sessions for online
        participants
• Presentations by experts in PD from Shirley Ryan AbilityLab and other prestigious institutions
• Educational support group discussions for people with PD and their care partners
• Opportunities to meet and interact with others in the PD community

When and where is the event held?
Sessions will meet monthly at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab (355 E Erie St Chicago, IL 60611) and in person meetings will last approximately 2.5-3 hours. The first portion is structured as a 60 to 90 minute educational series and the second half is a one hour breakout discussion group for both patients and care partners. Lunch will be provided. Recorded webinars will be available for your viewing for a time period after live session with an opportunity for virtual discussion and questions. The dates for the live course will be the first Saturday of the month from November 2019 through August 2020 with the exception of July 2020, when the session will take place on the second Saturday, July 11th in lieu of the July 4th holiday.

The in-person sessions at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab will be limited to 60 persons for each individual session. We will keep a waitlist, so please inform us if your plans change. The sessions can be viewed online after the live event so we encourage you to please attend those if you cannot make an in-person event.

Research Study:
As part of this activity, you will be asked to participate in a research survey. You will be asked to participate in this session and the survey questionnaire because you are either a person with PD or you are the caregiver for someone diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. The research survey will ask questions about your experience attending the sessions and about quality of life and caregiver strain.

Participation in the research portion is strictly voluntary, and your care will not be affected by your decision to participate or not. Your responses will be anonymous . Information gathered from the research questions will help inform future educational series and ways to address the needs and interests of the PD community.

To RSVP for this program, please fill out the form below.  
If you have questions about the education and support group program, please call Dr. Goldman’s team at 312-238-7363. If you have questions about the research part of this program, please call Dr. Goldman’s research team at 312-238-5911.

We appreciate your consideration in joining us for this educational and support group program and for considering taking part in research related to this program.

*************In-Person attendance for the November 2nd, 2019 date is no longer being accepted at this time, please call Shari Marchbanks 312-238-5018 with questions or concerns.