2013 Parkinson’s Conference Overview This year’s Annual Parkinson’s Conference, “Strength Through Optimism,” took place on Friday, June 14, 2013 at the Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moines, IA. Over 500 attendees participated in the conference this year. Our day began with Dr. Monique Giroux, Movement Disorders Specialist from Englewood, CO, who talked about the popular topic of holistic medicine. Laura Gentry, Laughter Yoga instructor, worked the attendees’ smiling muscles and provided some practical information on why laughing is good for one’s health. Dr. Ergun Uc, Movement Disorders Specialist from the University of Iowa, covered exercise research and things to take into consideration in regard to driving with Parkinson’s. Dr. Lynn K. Struck, Movement Disorders Specialist at UnityPoint Health in Des Moines, gave an informative presentation on NonMotor Symptoms in Parkinson’s.
This year area exercise instructors and Iowa Chapter board directors Jen Voorhees and Becky Holmes presented a Delay the Disease class in the morning and afternoon that gave attendees a boost of energy and practical strategies for physical activity. It was a day to encourage and learn from one another as well as connect and network with peers. Overall, another successful conference and lots of valuable information. Thank you to volunteers for assisting throughout the day and leading up to the day and to exhibitors for sharing their beneficial services. Additionally, a thank you to financial sponsors Teva, Medtronic, UCB, and US World Meds. Another thank you goes to Des Moines University, MetaBank and West Music for in-kind donations. For videos of the keynote talks, visit www.apdaiowa.org.
In our breakout sessions, we had a variety of topics and presentations this year: percussion and drumming, relaxation therapies, photography, palliative care, medications, speech and swallowing, deep brain stimulation, urinary dysfunction, assistive technology using the iPad, caregiving topics and physical therapy. Live it!
Summer/Fall 2013
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