Parkinson's Disease Society Joins Forces With Healthy Interactions To Launch New Education Programme

Main Category: Parkinson's Disease
Article Date: 18 Jun 2009 - 8:00 PDT

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As part of a Europe-wide drive to improve access to information and education for people with Parkinson's Disease, the Parkinson's Disease Society (PDS) is launching a new education initiative with American company, Healthy Interactions.

The Conversation Map™ tools will address the needs of people at all stages of Parkinson's and those of their families and carers. The interactive sessions will encourage people with Parkinson's to explore facts about their condition themselves and with peers, helping them to make informed choices and to become more motivated to take positive action in dealing with their disease. The key outcome will be better self-management.

The three foot (.91m) by five foot (1.52m) Conversation Map tools feature images, information, and exercises designed to be fun and engaging for groups of between three and ten people who are guided through their sessions by a trained 'facilitator'. Each session focuses on promoting discussion around key areas of the condition, encouraging debate and aiming to increase understanding.

Steve Ford, Chief Executive of the PDS, underlines the importance of this new approach to education: "In 2008 the PDS survey, 'Life with Parkinson's today - room for improvement', identified that three out of ten people diagnosed with Parkinson's in the previous year felt they were not given clear information about the condition and medication at the time of diagnosis, with nearly half (47%) feeling that they needed more information about the condition. This is not acceptable."

"We have a responsibility to give all people coping with Parkinson's access to comprehensive information; to put in place tools to support better self management and guidance on where they can turn for help. The agreement we have with Healthy Interactions aims to put in place an interactive series of education programmes that helps meet these needs."

Paul Lasuik, one of the founders of Healthy Interactions said: "We are working with a number of leading disease associations in the UK who recognise that a change in patient education is vital in order to promote more effective self-management and support better quality of life. We hope that rolling out the new programme in England is the first step to bringing real change to people coping with Parkinson's - by giving them more control."

Source
Parkinson's Disease Society

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