The Importance of Building Your Care Team

Webinar & Transcript

The Importance of Building Your Care Team - YouTube

Introduction

Eden Feldman: Everyone, thanks for joining us today. Give everybody a couple of minutes to just get in, get set up and hooked up to audio. So nice to see some familiar faces. Hi, everyone. Please feel free to open up your chat and tell me where you're from.

Dr. Jamie Hatcher-Martin: Thank you for having me. Give me just a second. I'll just pull everything up and I'm going to share my screen.

Comprehensive Care Team

The overall ethos of this talk is that dealing with the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease is hard enough. You should be able to rely on a team that hears and acknowledges your challenges while helping you navigate the care system. A comprehensive care team is a group of healthcare professionals that works together to provide expert care to help you maximize your quality of life. This includes motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease as well as many of the non-motor symptoms.

Importance of Care Teams

Having a comprehensive care team is crucial because non-motor features of Parkinson's, including psychiatric disorders, cognitive decline, and sleep disturbances, are often more predictive of a perceived quality of life than the motor issues.

Who Should Be on Your Team?

• Neurologist: Preferably a movement disorder specialist.
• Primary Care Physician
• Therapists: Physical, occupational, and speech therapists.
• Exercise Instructor or Personal Trainer
• Dietician or Nutritionist
• Psychiatrist or Psychologist
• Neuropsychologist or Cognitive Specialist
• Genetic Counselor
• Social Worker or Care Coordinator
• Insurance Navigator
• Neurosurgeon (if necessary)
• Family and Friends

Care Planning

It’s important to understand that you do not need to see all these professionals at the same time. As a movement disorders specialist, we can initiate treatments and only refer you to specialists as needed.

Specific Therapies Needed

1. Physical Therapy (PT): Focuses on mobility and tailored for Parkinson's.
2. Occupational Therapy (OT): Focuses on fine motor skills and daily living activities.
3. Speech Therapy: Addressing voice and swallowing issues.
4. Exercise Training: Could involve personal trainers or classes tailored for Parkinson's.

Diet and Nutrition

A healthy diet is recommended for Parkinson's patients, with the Mediterranean diet showing benefits.

Mental Health

Engaging with a psychiatrist or psychologist is essential as mental health concerns are common in Parkinson's patients. This includes treating anxiety and depression.

Coordination of Care

Social workers can help with resilience and coping mechanisms while coordinating care among different services.

Conclusion

Building a comprehensive care team may take some time, and your needs will change over time. Be sure to utilize available resources and don’t hesitate to reach out for support within local and national organizations.