It’s 2023, and we want to hear from you

We want to hear from you - Davis Phinney Foundation

Happy 2023, everyone!

Last year was a big year for us…

We Welcomed Dozens of New Ambassadors

We ended the year with 86 Ambassadors all across the US and Canada! These people volunteer their time to connect with individuals, families, and groups to help answer questions about living well with Parkinson’s. Among many other services they provide to their local communities, they can connect YOU with resources and relationships to support your path with Parkinson’s no matter where you live. Learn more and reach out to an Ambassador here.

LC 2023 - Davis Phinney Foundation for Parkinson's Ambassadors
Photo by Chris Ocken – Copyright 2022 – OckenPhotography.com

We Reached Over One Million People with Our Video Content

We published 196 videos on YouTube and added 6,684 new subscribers to our channel. We also began publishing shorter clips of our most popular recorded webinars so you can get the answers you want more quickly. If you’re new to our work over there, the following playlists are a great place to start:

We Started Streaming Live Conversations Regularly

We began a brand-new series (Living Well with Parkinson’s) that streams live on YouTube several times a week. During these conversations, we talk to people with Parkinson’s, Parkinson’s care partners, and exceptional allied health professionals so we can learn from their inspirational stories. All topics are on the table and are perfect for you if you love to hear from others affected by Parkinson’s and the various ways they’ve learned to live well or help others live well. And what happens when they don’t. If these sound interesting, you can see all of the conversations on the schedule here. Be sure to subscribe to our channel or click the little Notify me button under each conversation you want to see to make sure you can join us when we go live. If you would like to share your story with us live on YouTube, this form is for you.

These sessions may not be ideal if you’re looking for facts from physicians, want a more formal conversation, and don’t like hearing about all the little things that make up a life. If that’s what you’re looking for, these on-demand webinars are an excellent place to start.

Living Well with Parkinson's + Heather KennedyWe Introduced You to New Technology and Resources

For example, we shared information about the Rollz motion rhythm walker, which is ideal for people with Parkinson’s who need extra assistance so that balance issues don’t turn into falling issues. This rollator uses multiple cues depending on your situation (laser, sound, vibration) and can be easily managed with the push of a button. You can also determine speed, intensity, and duration and set it up on an app on your phone if you want to.

The NexStride by De Oro Devices uses visual and audio cues to assist users in overcoming freezing of gait (FOG). The adaptive design easily mounts to canes, walkers, or walking poles to restore mobility and reduce the risk of falls.

Jan Grimes, our quintessential Parkinson’s hack expert, shared some of her best hacks for getting through the day. From the kitchen to the yard to beyond the driveway, Jan’s got you covered. Do you have a hack you want to share? We’d love to hear about it here.

Last but not least, Dr. Michael Okun discussed the latest on emerging therapies for Parkinson’s and what’s coming down the pike for the Parkinson’s community. We’re planning another webinar on this topic very soon!

Emerging Therapies in Parkinson's - Davis Phinney FoundationWe Announced Our First Research Project about resistance Training and Parkinson’s

Blood flow restriction (BFR) training is a novel way to deliver resistance exercise to people with more advanced Parkinson’s. BFR uses an external cuff to partially occlude blood flow of an exercising limb, causing muscle hypoxia and triggering anaerobic metabolism even at low intensities (20-30% of 1-repetition max). BFR has been shown to improve strength in people with musculoskeletal conditions and older adults. Anecdotally, we know this is true, so we are excited to take this research into the lab and share our results with you. If you want more information on the latest research around exercise and Parkinson’s, watch this conversation we had with the principal investigator of the SPARX3 study, Dr. Daniel Corcos. And this groundbreaking new study led by Drs. Bas Bloem and Darweesh here.

Davis Phinney Foundation for Parkinson's BFR ResearchWe Reached Close to Two Million People with our Education and Resources

Five years ago, we announced an audacious goal: to become the leading and most trusted resource for Parkinson’s education in the world.  While that’s certainly hard to measure, we know that when we look at the numbers, there’s no doubt that we’re moving that ball further down the field every year, thanks to those in our community who share our work and the physicians and allied health professionals who connect us with their patients.

The best part, however, is that we’re just getting started!

That’s where you come in. To keep us moving forward and making sure we continue to provide the most useful, tangible, and actionable information to you, we need to know what you want. So, if you have an idea you’d like to share with us because you know it will help not only you but the millions of people we reach each year, please take a minute to complete this very short form and let us know. We love hearing from you, and we read every response.

And, as always, if you’d like to share your Moments of Victory® story, please complete the form that’s applicable to you.

May 2023 be your best year yet!

JOIN OUR PELOTON CLUB

Davis Phinney Foundation for Parkinson's Peloton ClubOur educational content is made possible because of the monthly donors in our Peloton Club. Want to become a member and help us continue to create the resources people need to live well with Parkinson’s? Learn more and register to become a member here. It’s as easy as can be to set it and forget it.

 

Share this post on social:

To receive our electronic newsletter and other updates, sign up now.

Related Posts

Back to top