What Factors Lead to Better Quality of Life with Parkinson's? New Study Findings; Webinar

By Editor, on March 19th, 2013

Parkinson's Disease patient The National Parkinson Foundation (NPF) has recently released findings of the largest clinical study of Parkinson’s disease ever conducted, measuring factors that affect quality of life and care of Parkinson’s patients.

NPF announced that the early findings of the study, the Parkinson’s Outcomes Project, will be presented and discussed at a free online webinar on April 12, 2013, at 1:00 p.m. ET.

The webinar, on the topic “What Factors Lead to a Better Quality of Life in Parkinson’s Disease?” will be presented by Dr. Mark Guttman from Markham Stouffville Hospital’s Centre for Movement Disorders. More information about the webinar is found in NPF’s announcement below.

The Parkinson’s Outcomes Project

According to information on NPF’s website, the Parkinson’s Outcomes Project study included 6,000 Parkinson’s patients, ranging in age from 25 to 95, who were followed over more than 10,000 clinic visits.

As summarized by NPF on its website, early findings of the study have included the following key points:

“Negative mood and depression have the greatest impact on health status
Impaired mobility is the second most influential factor on health status.
Patients at some [health care] centers fare better than similar patients at other centers
Medication use varies substantially from one neurologist to another.
Centers refer patients to allied health professionals differently.”

NPF explains that it advocates data-driven approaches to isolate factors that can lead to constant improvement in quality of care and quality of life for Parkinson’s patients.

As examples of the types of approaches that data have shown to work, NPF states: “For example, recent studies have consistently found that exercise and physical therapy help improve motor symptoms. It’s also been shown that speech therapy helps prevent pneumonia, and occupational therapy helps people live independently and avoid dangerous falls.”

The Free Webinar, April 12, 2013

At the webinar on April 12, NPF states, Dr. Mark Guttman will “explore the most important findings of the [Parkinson's Outcomes Project] study and the factors that have been found to affect the health of people with Parkinson’s, including depression, mobility and activities of daily living.”

Following is an announcement of the free webinar provided by NPF. To register, click on the announcement below: