“Living Well With Parkinson’s” …a name apropos for RVNAhealth’s first annual Parkinson’s Symposium, was held at the RVNAhealth Ridgefield office on Friday, January 26th. With over 60 attendees and nearly 20 healthcare experts presenting or hosting information tables, the three hour event successfully delivered an agenda packed with information for both newly and existing diagnosed Parkinson’s patients, loved ones and care partners.

The Parkinson’s Symposium was the brainchild of Dr. Kate Campbell, Director of RVNAhealth’s Parkinson’s Center and Outpatient Rehabilitation. “After nearly a year since the launch of our Parkinson’s Center, I wanted to create an opportunity to bring together some of the best local experts from within RVNAhealth and other healthcare institutions. Our goals was to give the Parkinson’s community an afternoon to gather in one place and immerse themselves in learning and helpful discussion,” said Campbell. Main stage presentations included topics on the benefits of exercise, awake versus asleep deep brain stimulation, the importance of Movement Disorder Specialists, and the role of sleep in Parkinson’s. Breakout sessions gave participants an opportunity to customize their afternoon of PD learning. These options ranged from exercise demos, and cooking and nutrition, to information on clinical trials, mental health tips, and an overview from an organization dedicated to hiking trips for people with PD.

RVNAhealth would like to thank our visiting presenters:  Dr. Zion Zibly and Dr. Sophie Holmes and Sophie Elliott, Yale School of Medicine, Dr. Sarah Buckingham, Stamford Health, and Dr. Leon Meytin, Hartford Healthcare. We would also like to add a tremendous thanks to our RVNAhealth Parkinson’s Center staff who lead presentations, exercise classes, nutrition discussions, and more! Finally, we thank our sponsors who helped to make this event possible: Abbott, Abbvie, APDA of Connecticut, Medtronic, and Supernus.

With a successful first Parkinson’s Symposium complete, there is little downtime for Campbell as she continues with plans for the Parkinson’s Center’s second year in operation. “There’s a lot to be excited about at the Parkinson’s Center – we are taking more of our presentations out into the community, we are testing out new and more exercise class options, and we are soon kicking off our second Parkinson’s Bootcamp cohort, where we’ll work intensely with about 10 individuals over the course of 8 weeks. If you haven’t heard about Bootcamp, you should! We are making real life change and enabling individuals with powerful tools to take control of their Parkinson’s diagnosis–contact us to learn more!” says Campbell. “We are passionate about offering these resources to the Parkinson’s community – we are a place for community, compassion, health and wellness, and a partner in the fight against Parkinson’s disease.”

For more information about the RVNAhealth Parkinson’s Center, check out our webpage, call 203-438-5555 ext 1082 or email ParkinsonsCenterLeaders@rvnahealth.org.