I just wanted to send out
a message to everyone about some upcoming events and other
Parkinson’s information.
Dr. Kurtz Is Going to
Kaiser
First, I'm sure you have
all heard but just in case you haven't, Dr. Avi Kurtz will be heading over to
Kaiser Permanente on January 1. If you have Medicare or some other insurance
provider, he will no longer be able to see you. However, Kaiser is in open
enrollment so you could make the switch to that company if you think that is the
best solution for your needs. if you already have Kaiser and had simply been
waiting for this opportunity, I would start contacting your doctor now to
schedule an appointment in January :-).
I have been in contact
with a number of movement disorders specialists to see how to handle the large
community of patients that have become accustomed to the quality of care that
Dr. Kurtz has provided us over the last three years.
There are a number of
neurologists in the community (not movement disorders specialist) and you may
consider seeking out their help. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you need
any guidance finding a local resource. However, I would recommend also trying to
develop a relationship with a movement disorders specialist (i.e a Parkinson's
expert).
There are a couple of movement
disorders specialists who make office visits in the Boulder area and I wanted to
pass along their contact information. There are a couple of other potential
options coming soon but I want to wait to see how those play out before making
any announcements.
Dr. Monique Giroux
and Sierra Farris
Dr. Monique Giroux and
Sierra Farris have been seeing patients in Boulder for the better part of a
year. Although they are based out of their "Center for Movement and
Neuroperformance" in Englewood, they are in Boulder every month as part of a DBS
clinic. They also see people in Fort Collins (again, I think it's currently one
time per month). However, they are actively working to increase their presence
up north as we speak. It would definitely be worth contacting them at their
clinic and seeing whenthey are able to add you to their roster.
To schedule an
appointment, call Ingrid McGruder at 303-781-0511
I also wanted to let
everyone know that Sierra Farris is one of the best DBS programmers in the
country. If you have had any issues that you cannot seem to resolve following
DBS surgery, I would recommend giving her a call for a consult. Her experience
and skills are simply unmatched.
DBS
University
If you want to know more
about DBS, Dr Giroux and Sierra Farris(as well as some of their colleagues
including surgeon Adam Hebb as well as a physical therapist and a
neuropsychologist) will be teaching "DBS University" a daylong program at the
Longmont senior center on Saturday, December 6. http://www.centerformovement.org/calendar/action~agenda/page_offset~1/time_limit~1415458801
Dr. Heather
Ene
Dr. Heather Ene, a
movement disorders specialist from the University of Colorado, is also seeing
patients in Boulder. Although she continues to be based out of the hospital in
Aurora, she is currently in Boulder 2-3 full days per month, generally the 1st,
3rd and 5th Fridays with a long-term goal towards increasing to one day per
week.
Address: (it is just
across from NIST)
Dr. Heather Ene,
MD
University Family Medicine
at Boulder, 350 Broadway Street, Suite 130, Boulder, CO 80305 clinic:
720-848-9200
Referrals from providers
should be faxed to 720-848-9202. The clinic will then call the patient to
schedule an appointment.
DBS Presentation at the
University Of Colorado
Also related
to DBS, the University of Colorado is hosting a program with Dr. Olga
Klepitskaya and surgeon Aviva Abosch to discuss the latest research including
asleep versus awake
DBS. That will be during
the day on Monday, November 17 from 1:00 PM-2:30 PM at the UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO HOSPITAL, Anschutz Inpatient Pavilion 2,
12605 E. 16th Ave. Aurora, CO 80045. Cost: Free and Lunch will be provided.
RSVP: talia.kay@uchealth.org or 720.848.7378.
Capturing Grace
premiere
This is a documentary
about "Dance for PD", produced by Dave Iverson (who also produced "My Father, My
Brother and Me"). If you happened to be at the Global Community Conference (in
Keystone Colorado) this past March, Dave gave us a little preview of some of the
key scenes. "Capturing Grace" is premiering at the Stars Film Festival in Denver
on November 17 and 18. Tickets and more information are available at http://www.capturinggracefilm.com/screenings/2014/11/17/capturing-grace-starz-denver-film-festival-1
Party with a House
Fundraiser for the Parkinson's Association of the Rockies
On Saturday, November 22,
the Parkinson's Association of the Rockies is hosting their second annual "Party
with a House" fundraiser at old Chicago pizzeria in Broomfield (1280 E. 1st
Ave.). This is a gingerbread house decorating competition and it can be a very
nice way to spend some time with grandchildren or other young ones while raising
money and awareness for Parkinson disease. There are a number of other venues in
Denver throughout November and December. For more information and to register,
visit www.parkinsonrockies.org/houseparty or call
303-830-1839.
Every Victory Counts
(Third Edition)
I had a chance to take a
look at the latest version of this very popular guide at a program with the
Davis Phinney foundation in Dublin last month ("International Patient
Empowerment Day" although I like to call it the DPF's first "International
Victory Summit" ;-)). There is some great video, pictures and other information
about this event available at www.move4Parkinson's.com/summit
The foundation has secured
a grant that allows them to provide a free copy of this book to every household
affected by Parkinson's. In addition, f you reach out to the members of your
support group, you can provide Anna Van Pelt at the Davis Phinney foundation
(avanpelt@davisphinneyfoundation.org - 303-733-3340) with the contact
information and details for each member requesting a book and she will give you
a set of books for you to pass out at your next support group
event.
This is a great
opportunity to provide high-quality information to your members while getting
the word out about the Davis Phinney Foundation for Parkinson's, our hometown
proud Parkinson's advocacy organization with national (and now international :-)
reach).
An Opportunity
for a Little Fundraising for the DPF
I would recommend that you
take a moment during one of your support group meetings to pass out the book and
let people know about the Davis Phinney Foundation for Parkinsons. Although the
book is free, this is a nonprofit organization and I think all of our groups
could take the opportunity to pay things forward and collect a few donations for
the Davis Phinney foundation. Because they have gone through the not
insignificant effort of securing a grant, they are able to provide the book to
anybody and everyone who needs this information but it doesn't hurt to give a
little back when you can :-).
PD Me - an app for
Parkinson’s (full disclosure, I am involved in this project).
If you happened to be at
the E3 a couple of weeks ago, you may have seen app developer Marc Silverman
demoing a new app we have been collaborating on for the better part of the year.
It has finally been released on the app store https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pd-me/id927178736?mt=8 . In under two minutes, PD Me can provide
you with a quick snapshot of your current function and give you valuable insight
about the impacts of your symptoms, medication timing and other elements. So
fire up those brand-new iPhone 6's and check it out :-)
We are currently working
on a number of other tools for version 2.0 including a version for Health Care
Professionals. We're definitely looking for anybody interested in helping us
test the device out.
Boxing For
PD
Last week, I had the
opportunity to attend the "Boxing for PD" program at the Salvation Army gym near
Stapleton. It was an excellent event with so many possibilities for people in
our community. Moreover, there are a couple of Life Care PT's, Hope Engel and
Meredith Roberts, donating their time and expertise to Rick Schwartz of PAR,
former professional boxer Anthony Mora and CU PT student Lee Ming. If you're
looking for a challenge and a new experience, I can't recommend this program
highly enough. It is being hosted on Saturdays at 10:00 AM at the Salvation
Army, Denver Red Shield, 2915 High St, Denver, CO 80205
To register, contact the
Parkinson's Association of the Rockies at 303-830-1839 or info@ParkinsonRockies.org. For more information about
what the program involves (i.e fitness level), contact Lee at ming-lee.chow@ucdenver.edu
Conclusion
In the meantime, please
don't hesitate to reach out to me if I can be of helpful or provide you with any
additional information. I am always interested in hearing about any and all
things Parkinson's related so please keep me in the loop and let me help get the
message out.
I hope to see some of you
at the "Partners in Parkinson's" event this Saturday. Next week, I'll be
traveling to the West Coast to be part of the faculty for the Allied Team
Training Program (ATTP) with the National Parkinson's Foundation and
International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society . I'll send along another
message with any interesting information I get from that event.
-John
PS
I'm just getting started
in helping John Carlin establish a cycling program for Parkinson's. We are in
the earliest stages of development but if that's an area of interest to you,
please send me a message so I can get you involved.
PPS Life Care Centers of
America will be holding our "Parkinson's Warriors" high-intensity exercise
programs again next year (http://www.timescall.com/lifestyles/health/ci_26302422/longmont-parkinsons-event-aims-combat-regression-exercise ).
We hope to expand it to
more locations. If you think that's something you want in your neighborhood,
just give me a quick email or phone call to let me know so I can include it in
our planning.
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