2023 American Academy of Neurology Abstract Website

Objective:

To establish an educational series for people with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and caregivers to understand non-motor symptoms.

Background:

Non-motor symptoms and mental health issues can occur prior to diagnosis of PD and may even progress through the course of the disease in many patients. COVID-19 has made the severity of these symptoms unclear and may have worsened them in some cases. Understanding the non-motor symptoms may indirectly impact their wellbeing and quality of life.

Design/Methods:

We provided a series of three virtual workshops covering exercise, nutrition, and mental wellness for patients with PD and their caregivers. These patients self-identified as African American (AA), were at least 18 years old, were diagnosed with PD by a neurologist or was already a PD care partner, reside in Georgia, and had the ability to provide consent. Surveys were sent after workshops to assess effectiveness. A literature search was conducted through PubMed to see if other such workshops have been implemented.

Results:

All participants either agreed or strongly agreed that they would attend future sessions, these workshops helped deal with anxiety and depression, mood was improved, they learned effective exercise strategies, and these workshops helped improve quality of life for their care partners. A PubMed literature search showed three articles that met inclusion out of which only one detailed education aimed to improve the lives of Parkinson’s Disease patients. The article showed improved episodic learning and memory retention after multiple cognitive training sessions.

Conclusions:

A literature review showed one other study that aimed to improve cognition in Parkinson’s Disease patients. Our workshops showed a subjective improvement in knowledge pertaining to mental health, exercise, and diet, albeit with a small sample size. Further workshops with a standardized curriculum may benefit Parkinson’s disease patients and their caregivers.