Parkinson's Foundation
The Parkinson's Foundation is a versatile resource offering a wide range of education and support for you (as a care partner) and your loved one living with Parkinson's Disease.
The mission of the Parkinson's Foundation is:
"A community. An alliance. A movement. Where people living with Parkinson’s, families, caregivers, scientists, advocates, donors and volunteers join forces to improve lives and advance toward a cure" (Parkinson's Foundation, n.d.).
Below are some of the resources this organization offers care partners.
Classes
PD Health @ Home | This is a program that allows you to access mindfulness, wellness, and fitness courses every week. These courses are free and every week they offer one course on each of the previously listed topics. Click here to access the course.
Care Partner Program | This a free self-paced course that helps care partners learn more about Parkinson's Disease and provide access to resources to support their journey. Click here for the course.
Mental Health Supports
Self-Care Strategies | This resource provides information on self-care regarding its purpose, different types of self-care, what can happen to you when you do not have enough self-care, and how to include self-care in your day-to-day life. Click here for the strategies.
Coping Skills | This is a fact sheet that provides care partners various coping strategies that they can utilize during stressful situations but also during everyday life. This sheet helps care partners create a toolbox of strategies and supports the care partner with implementing them as they need. Click here for the fact sheet.
Burnout | This is a discussion on what is care partner burnout, how to recognize it, and how to overcome burnout feelings/symptoms. Click here to read more about burnout.
Compassion Fatigue | This is a discussion on what is compassion fatigue, the signs of compassion fatigue, and how to prevent compassion fatigue. Click here to read more about compassion fatigue.
Staying Healthy | This is a broad overview of ways care partners can maintain their mental health. This article discusses activities that care partners should include in their routines to support mental health. Click here to read more.
Care to Talk Cards | The previously listed resource, discusses the importance of social support; however, it is common for care partners to have difficulty discussing their experiences with others as they don't want to burden them. The Parkinson's Foundation created these talking cards to help prompt conversation between care partners and their social networks. Click here for the cards.
Network Support
Caregiver Forum | This a forum where care partners can reach out to each other for support and advice. Click here for the forum.
Information About Parkinson's Disease
Stages of Parkinson's disease | This webinar provides information about the different stages of Parkinson's disease and what care partners can expect regarding the possible progression of symptoms. Click here to access the webinar.
Hospital Resources | The Parkinson's Foundation has created an Aware in Care kit and hospital plan to help care partners support their loved ones during hospitalization. The kit provides education to your loved one's medical team about their diagnosis and medication, access the kit here. The hospital plan provides care partners with the steps that they can take to support their loved one during this experience, access the plan here.
Advanced Parkinson's | The CareMAP provides care partners with resources and how-to videos on how they can support their loved one with advanced Parkinson's disease. To access the guide and videos click here.
Surgical Options | This is an electronic book that provides information about different surgical interventions that can be completed to help reduce Parkinson's disease symptoms and how to discuss these interventions with your loved one's doctor. Click here for the e-book.
Navigating Long-Term Care Centers | The Parkinson's Foundation has created a guide to help care partners navigate long-term care centers. In this article, they discuss the emotional changes a care partner may experience and how to foster a relationship with the care center staff. Click here to read the article. Additionally, they have created guides on locating the right assisted living facility and skilled nursing facility. These guides provide information on what to look for that would indicate that this facility may work for your loved one and questions to ask the facilities. Assisted living facility guide click here and skilled nursing facility click here.
General Information
Care Partner Summit | The care partner summit webinars focus on various topics that support care partners and their loved ones on this journey. There are numerous topics discussed and care partners can search for webinars that would support their current needs. Linked here is access to past summits.
Caring and Coping | This a book that was created by the Parkinson's Foundation to provide care partners information about Parkinson's disease, creating a partnership, caring for themselves, and planning for the future. The book can be accessed here.
Collection of Caregiver Videos | The Parkinson's Foundation has compiled videos for care partners on their YouTube channel to make it easier to access all of their videos. To search for a particular video of need click here.
Next Page → Clinic Supports
Resources:
Parkinson's Foundation. (n.d.). Vision & mission. https://www.parkinson.org/about-us/vision-mission
