The public is invited to the Parkinson’s Forum, which is presented by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and features experts in the diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson’s, information on research and clinical trials and discussions for patients and caregivers about living with the disease.
The free event will be held from 1-5 p.m. April 15 on the 12th floor of the UAMS Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute. Parking will be available in parking deck number 3 on the east side of campus and connected by an indoor walking bridge to the event site.
The event is designed for those living with Parkinson’s disease, their family members, doctors, nurses, other health care professionals and those interested in knowing more about the disease. Doctors, nurses and pharmacists will be able to apply for continuing medical education for attending the forum.
The fourth annual event of its kind, the Parkinson’s Forum began as a way to build community among Parkinson’s patients, their doctors and caregivers. It serves as a vehicle for sharing the latest medical advances and building networks of support.
“We know that there’s more to living with Parkinson’s than we’re able to cover during visits to the doctor’s office, and we also know that patients and caregivers have a lot to teach us as physicians and researchers,” said event organizer Erika Petersen, M.D., a neurosurgeon and associate professor in the UAMS College of Medicine’s Department of Neurosurgery. “We hope this serves as forum for those important conversations.”
The schedule includes presentations, panels, a question-and-answer session and time for mingling with experts.
Each year, organizers try to include an example of a physical exercise for Parkinson’s. This year, Danny Dring, owner of and master instructor at Living Defense Martial Arts in Sherwood, will demonstrate Rock Steady Boxing, a boxing program specifically designed to increase coordination, speed and confidence for Parkinson’s patients.
The agenda includes:
- Clinical trials basics for Parkinson’s disease
- Cognition in Parkinson’s disease
- Boxing for Parkinson’s disease
- Panels on multidisciplinary approaches to mild as well as moderate and advanced Parkinson’s disease
- Deep brain stimulation: what’s new?
Parkinson’s disease is treated as part of the Movement Disorders Clinic at UAMS. Movement disorders include essential tremor, Huntington’s disease, ataxia, Tourette’s syndrome and other conditions that cause tremors, involuntary movements and difficulty walking. The UAMS Movement Disorder team provides a well-coordinated, multidisciplinary approach, which includes neurologists, neurosurgeons, neuropsychologists and other specialists offering comprehensive care using the latest technologies and treatments.
Petersen is director of the Section of Functional and Restorative Neurosurgery at UAMS. A fellowship-trained neurosurgeon, Petersen can perform a number of specialized surgeries, including deep brain stimulation, which acts similar to a pacemaker for the brain and blocks some of the signals that cause the increasingly debilitating symptoms of Parkinson’s, dystonia and essential tremor that can make daily life difficult.
For more information or to join a list to receive updates about future Parkinson’s events, call 501-686-5270.
UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; hospital; northwest Arkansas regional campus; statewide network of regional centers; and seven institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Myeloma Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging and Translational Research Institute. It is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 2,834 students, 822 medical residents and six dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses throughout the state, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or www.uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram.
By Amy Widner | April 11th, 2018 |