Want to learn more about Parkinson's disease? Local event can help – Utica Observer Dispatch

About 65,000 New Yorkers have Parkinson’s disease, according to the New York State Department of Health.
Worldwide, about 10 million people have the progressive brain disorder, a number that is expected to double by 2050, according to the American Parkinson’s Disease Association.
For many Parkinson’s patients, the disease brings tremors, stiffness and slow movement. But others suffer few of the disease’s motor symptoms, instead having symptoms such as depression, anxiety, apathy, hallucinations, constipation, sleep disorders and/or various cognitive impairments.
There is not cure for Parkinson’s disease, but treatments can improve the quality of life for patients, according to the Parkinson’s Foundation.
So chances are that local patients and their families have a lot of questions about the disease, about potential treatments and about quality-of-life issues.
The region’s first Parkinson’s Symposium, hosted by Community Wellness Partners, will provide some answers. It’s part of the William and Rita Abraham Parkinson’s Speakers Series.
The free symposium will take place at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 25 at the Five Points Public House, part of the Irish Cultural Center, at 623 Columbia Street in Utica.
“People living with Parkinson’s and their loved ones often have important questions about the range of therapies available,” said Alison Swartz, Parkison’s program director for Community Wellness Partners, in a statement. “The Parkinson’s Symposium offers a unique opportunity to receive answers directly from experts in the field without having to travel to Albany, Syracuse, or Rochester.”
The program’s events will include:
“Community Wellness Partners is bringing talent through education to people with Parkinson’s in the Mohawk Valley so that they can receive firsthand knowledge of their options and live better lives with Parkinsons’ disease,” Swartz said in the statement. “Some of the topics being discussed are deep brain stimulation surgery, Parkinson’s medication and research, exercise impact on dopamine and nutrition programs for brain health.”
The panelists will include Christopher Bishop, professor/director of the Undergraduate Integrative Neuroscience Program at Binghamton University; Brian Baker, a veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard, co-host of “The Secret Life of Parkinson’s” podcast and a person with Parkinson’s who has had deep bran stimulation surgery; Allison Bowers, a registered dietitian at Colgate University; and Trever Gates and Julia Primps-Downing, both physical therapists with Community Wellness Partners.
Deep brain simulation surgery implants wires in the brain that send electrical impulses that can help reduce4 movement symptoms of Parkinson’s, such as tremors, if medication alone isn’t helping enough.
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The symposium and other events in the William and Rita Abraham Parkinson’s Speakers Series aren’t the only Parkinson’s resources offered by Community Wellness Partners.
It also offers:
Anyone who wants to attend the free symposium is asked to RSVP to Alison Swarz by calling 315-235-7353 or by emailing aswartz@cwpinc.org.
Information on Community Wellness Partners’ other Parkinson’s programs can be found here.

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