Mary Chapman, features writer —

Online forums have markedly altered how patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals communicate and connect. Even when miles apart, individuals can establish supportive relationships, share experiences and information, and sometimes simply vent. Bionews Services, a leading online health, science and research publication company, has been rolling out its…

Aware that non-contact boxing routines can improve the lives of Parkinson’s patients, Senior Helpers is sending six Rock Steady Boxing (RSB) coaches to the organization’s national conference. Senior Helpers, a leading nationwide provider of at-home care, will sponsor the Wilmington, North Carolina, coaches in attending the second annual…

The Parkinson’s Foundation has added three Centers of Excellence to its international network of expert care providers for Parkinson’s disease  patients. The new centers are the University of Colorado Movement Disorders Center, Jefferson Health’s Comprehensive Parkinson’s Disease & Movement Disorder Center, and Indiana University…

Grants totaling nearly $29,000 will enable the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS)  to establish a free exercise program for patients with Parkinson’s disease and Parkinson’s-like symptoms. Some $13,924 from the Parkinson’s Foundation will go toward program staffing, training and other support. A $15,000 grant from the Philip…

The Parkinson’s Foundation has granted four U.S. institutions $8 million to design and launch Parkinson’s disease research studies over the next four years. The newly designated Parkinson’s Foundation Research Centers will get $2 million each — $500,00o annually — to support their quests to drive innovative investigative developments, and…

Continuing its support of a collaborative Parkinson’s disease (PD) study, the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) has awarded the National Centre for Excellence in Research on Parkinson’s Disease (NCER-PD) €6 million ($6.68 million) for its second phase. Comprised primarily of five research partners, the four-year-old Luxembourg-based NCER-PD is…

Widening efforts to give Parkinson’s disease patients access to high-quality speech therapy, the Parkinson Voice Project (PVP) has named the Andrews University School of Communication Sciences & Disorders (SCSD) a recipient of this year’s SPEAK OUT! & LOUD Crowd Grant Program. As is the case with all awardees, the…

A new nationwide event series aims to empower people with Parkinson’s (PD) and their caregivers to manage the disease, learn about research participation, and plug into local resources. Called “Parkinson’s IQ + You,” the effort is presented by The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF). The events seek…

A top progressive researcher at Bastyr University in Washington will lead a unique event — a five-day medical-educational retreat called PD Summer School — aimed at improving the lives of people with Parkinson’s disease. Touted as the world’s only event of its kind for those living with…

The annual economic burden of Parkinson’s disease on U.S. patients, families, and the federal government is nearly $52 billion, more than double the previous estimates, according to a comprehensive study by the Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF). This is the first study to examine the various ways…