World Parkinson’s Day was first celebrated on April 11th, 1997. The date April 11th was chosen in honor of Dr. James Parkinson’s birthday, the first person to describe the disease that bears his name in 1817. Today, over 60 countries around the world participate to raise awareness of Parkinson’s disease.
Check out how the user organisations in the PROCare4Life project will celebrate this day!
At Asociación Parkinson Madrid, events will take place throughout the entirety of April:
- Tuesday 5th – Empathy workshop aimed at family members and carers to put themselves in the shoes of a person with Parkinson’s disease at La Casa Encendida (Ronda de Valencia, 2. Madrid)
- Wednesday 6th – Workshop for caregivers about how the brain of a person with Parkinson’s disease works, affected areas, the role of dopamine in behaviors and emotions, cognitive functions (attention, memory, planning…) and strategies and exercises to take care of brain function. Pozuelo de Alarcón Town Hall (Plaza Mayor, 1).
- Wednesday 6th – Information tables in Pozuelo de Alarcón senior citizen centers. Our volunteers will inform about the disease and how the association can help people suffering from the disease and their families.
- Friday 8th – World Parkinson’s Day Conference. The conference will include discussions on second-line treatments for Parkinson’s disease. After the Conference, an award ceremony will be held in which the Cajal Institute will receive the 18th “Parkinson Madrid Meritorious Award” and José Luis Molero will receive the 14th “Parkinson Madrid Annual Recognition Award.” La Casa Encendida (Ronda de Valencia, 2)
Milan Pilot site Casa di Cura del Policlinico (CCPP) is a fully integrated multispecialty clinical centre aiming at providing both inpatient and outpatient services mainly directed to neurological patients. They will be marking the event through National’s Parkinson’s Day.
In Germany, many activities are going to take place on the occasion of World Parkinson’s Day:
- Wednesday 6th – The Parkinson Foundation, founded by the German Parkinson Society (DPG), is organising a digital information day together with partners and supporters. Frank Elstner, ambassador of the Parkinson Foundation (a well-known presenter in Germany) will also be present, talking to people affected by Parkinson’s who will show how they manage their lives with Parkinson’s disease – health-wise, professionally and personally. Experts from the medical field will present various topics in entertaining lectures and explain current research approaches in conversation. This year, the focus is on “Parkinson’s disease and sport”.
Regionally, in Baden-Württemberg, one of the 16 states in Germany and where PROCare4Life Pilot site Wohlfahrtswerk für Baden-Württemberg is based, there are two seminars to mark World Parkinson’s Day:
- Sunday 3rd – “Deep brain stimulation” webinar where PD patient Guido Folster and Prof. Ceballos-Baumann shared their experiences.
- Sunday 10th – “Speech therapy in Parkinson’s disease – therapy of voice and speech disorders, breathing problems, posture, swallowing disorders and salivation” event. The speaker is a well-known speech therapist from Stuttgart, the state capital.
During the week of the 11th of April, the Campus Neurológico Sénior (CNS) in Lisbon will organise a series of open group sessions, aimed at people with Parkinson’s disease. The initiative will include:
- Monday 11th – Live session of the CNS Move initiative (physical exercise), through Facebook and Instagram
- Tuesday 12th- Adapted boxing face-to-face group session
- Wednesday 13th- Online cognitive training group session, via zoom
- Thursday 14th- Online Speech Therapy group session, via zoom
Romania
The PROCare4Life Romanian Pilots sites of Spitalul Universitar de Urgenta Bucuresti (UHB) and University of Medicine and Pharmacy, a special event will take place on the 11th and the 12th of April. Highly recognized national specialists in caring for patients diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and also the national representative of the “Anti-Parkinson patients association of Romania” will participate at the National Conference of modern neurosciences “Parkinson disease and other movement disorders”. The conference will be hybrid and will take place onsite at Iasi, Romania and also online. During the conference there are several sessions that will address the following themes:
- Non-motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease;
- The concept of advanced Parkinson’s disease;
- Therapeutic options in advanced Parkinson’s disease: deep brain stimulation and device-assisted therapies;
- Secrets of doctor-patient communication in Parkinson’s disease;
- Neuromotor recovery of the patient with Parkinson’s disease;
- Diet of the patient with Parkinson’s disease;
- The rights and obligations of patients with Parkinson’s disease;
- Advice for patients with Parkinson’s disease;
- The importance of speech therapy in Parkinson’s disease;
- Other movement disorders.
In addition, 72,000 red tulips symbolizing the number of patients officially diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in Romania, will be shared with Romanians from all over the country, in solidarity with people who live with Parkinson’s disease.
This list of activities was compiled by Austin Bontemps student intern at Asociación Parkinson Madrid and supported by the PROCare4life project partners.
GIF Credit: Global Alliance to End Párkinson’s Disease assn.
Share your spark at www.worldparkinsonsday.com