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“Just sit and watch him,” said his wife, with affirming nods from their children. They were heading out to enjoy some respite from the demands of caring for a terminally ill family member. It was the same set of instructions my hospice supervisor gave me about spending time with this…

Last November, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Exablate Neuro to treat motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease patients, as reported by Parkinson’s News Today‘s Patricia Inacio, PhD. Created by medical device company Insightec, Exablate Neuro is a magnetic resonance, image-guided, focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) system that can treat tremors…

When a person advocates for themselves, they can achieve great things. I recently had a conversation with an advocate for the Parkinson’s Foundation, Ann Kopf. Ann lives in Milwaukee and works with different staff members in the foundation to support others with Parkinson’s. I emailed her to learn more…

When my dad, Jim, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2013, he fought the idea of pursuing Parkinson’s-specific exercise classes and seeking out others in the Parkinson’s community. Nobody wants to admit they’re getting weaker or are in trouble, and I think that initially, he was afraid to categorize…

Since April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month, I thought it would be a great opportunity to write about reasons to have hope for people affected with the disease, as well as their caregivers. My sister Bev has stage 3 Parkinson’s (PD) and was diagnosed in 2017. She currently experiences hand…

Relearning how to eat with Parkinson’s disease is more than being mindful of mouth movements. It requires careful observations of the motivations behind what food to eat, when, and how much. Relearning how to eat required me to examine the drive to start eating and the desire to stop…

My sister Bev, who has stage 3 Parkinson’s disease (PD), is delighted when the spring equinox arrives in Ohio, where she lives. Gone for the most part are the blustery winter storms and frigid temps. Appearing are the fragrant floral blossoms and the season of smells on the outdoor…

There are many ways to get a backache. This is new for me — lower back pain that leads to spasms and literally drives me to my knees. It doesn’t feel like the pain from overdoing it in the garden. Every gardener knows that exquisite twinge from too much lifting…

Over the years, I’ve found myself attracted to writing stories about the underdog. I love learning about people who come up against seemingly insurmountable odds, only to overcome them through sheer grit, ingenuity, and determination. In 2015, my first published article was about a woman who fell 45 feet…

My sister Bev had symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD) for about eight years before she was properly diagnosed in 2017 at the age of 78. She told me that before she was diagnosed, while she was first working as a nurse and then as an echocardiography technician, she experienced uncontrollable…