Parkinson’s disease is often misunderstood. Without proper training, it can be difficult to recognize symptoms and associated behaviors. That is precisely why the Parkinson’s Foundation launched its Community Partners in Parkinson’s Care membership program for home care agencies and senior living communities.
“The home health aides or nursing assistance who really are the boots on the ground — they weren’t getting information, they weren’t understanding Parkinson’s disease,” Rose Wichmann, national co-director for the Community Partners in Care program, told McKnight’s Home Care Daily Pulse. “So for all of those reasons we wanted to create a program that was a little more sustainable and a little more collaborative.”
The program was created 10 years ago in the Struthers Parkinson’s Center in Golden Valley, MN. It currently has 88 members across 22 states and is continuing to expand. There is an online curriculum with four learning modules, which provide guidance and training for treating patients with Parkinson’s. Members must also pay an annual fee of $2,500. Per Wichmann, familiarity with the disease is imperative in order to administer the proper care.
“Parkinson’s is a really unique and sometimes very complex disease, and people don’t always understand it,” Wichmann said. “Sometimes people with Parkinson’s get a bad rap for a couple of different reasons.”
These reasons can range from misinterpreted facial expressions and difficulty moving, to sudden “freezes.” Addressing these common misconceptions in the training modules gives caregivers the background knowledge they need to do their jobs. As the nation’s nursing homes and home care programs grow to accommodate an aging population, the Parkinson’s Foundation’s new Partners in Parkinson’s Care program will be there to make sure no one slips through the cracks.
“Now that the program really belongs to the Parkinson’s Foundation, we have the ability to really expand nationally in a much broader way,” Wichmann said. “The Parkinson’s Foundation has wonderful networks, they have their Parkinson’s ambassadors and more people talking about and spreading word about the program. We’ll hopefully continue to expand it.”
Home Sweet Home is a feature appearing Mondays in McKnight’s Home Care Daily Pulse. The story focuses on a heartwarming, entertaining or quirky happening affecting the world of home care. If you have a topic that might be worthy of the spotlight in Home Sweet Home, please email Special Projects Coordinator Foster Stubbs at [email protected].
