Parkinson Voice Project to Host Lecture on Nutrition and Disease Management

Parkinson Voice Project (PVP) is presenting a free educational lecture Jan. 12 in Richardson, Texas, for Parkinson’s disease patients and caregivers that will focus on nutritional health and disease management.

Themed “Optimal Nutrition for Living Well with Parkinson’s,” the lecture will take place at 10:30 a.m. CT at PVP, 646 N. Coit Road, Suite 2250. It will be live-streamed here and on Facebook. A video of the lecture will be posted online by Jan. 18. Go here to register for in-person attendance.

The lecture will be given by Susan C. Imke, a gerontological nurse practitioner who specializes in the neurology of aging, with a chief focus on families living with Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative disorders. An author and frequent public speaker, she’s an educational consultant to the Parkinson’s Foundation and a member of the International Parkinson Disease and Movement Disorder Society.

Most Parkinson’s patient education programs emphasize symptom management through medicine, the importance of exercise, and interventions to remain independent and prevent falls, according to PVP’s webpage introducing the event. While these topics are all vital, this talk will discuss the often-overlooked strategy of improving nutritional health.

Among other things, the presentation will explain the importance of adequate hydration, common Parkinson’s changes in the gastrointestinal tract (GI), how a reduced sense of smell and taste can affect appetite, and the value of over-the-counter nutritional supplements. Scheduling medications for optimal absorption, minimizing swallowing problems, and managing constipation will also be discussed.

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By the event’s end, the hope is that participants will be able to describe multiple strategies for enhancing nutritional health in Parkinson’s disease, explain the impact dehydration can have on patients, and describe common GI tract changes that occur as a result of the disease.

The talk is part of the Parkinson’s Lecture Series presented by disease experts in PVP’s Clark and Brigid Lund Parkinson’s Education Center. Upcoming lectures include “Packing Some Punch Into Your  Parkinson’s Exercise Routine,” “New and Emerging Therapies in Parkinson’s,” and “Dance for Parkinson’s.” Visit this site for a complete listing.

Earlier this year, Parkinson’s News Today previewed PVP’s April presentation on misconceptions about Parkinson’s, including those about treatments.

PVP is a nonprofit that seeks to preserve the voices of those with Parkinson’s and related neurological disorders  through intensive speech therapy, follow-up support, research, education, and community awareness. It envisions collaborating with other speech language pathologists to replicate its SPEAK OUT! and LOUD Crowd therapy programs worldwide. By combining speech, voice, and cognitive exercises, the programs address motor speech deficits associated with Parkinson’s.