Parkinson's Disease

Parent Q&A

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  • Looking for support for a newly-diagnosed friend. Do you know of any support groups or other resources in the East Bay for people with Parkinson’s Disease? Thanks in advance. 

    PD Active is a wonderful resource for many types of therapeutic classes and activities for people living with Parkinson’s: https://pdactive.wordpress.com/programs/ 

    You are a dear friend! PDactive.wordpress.com is a full stop resource. They even began a mentorship program for those with recent PD diagnoses. There are so many wonderful programs for PWP and they're all great. 

    Caregiver.org  in San Francisco is also an excellent resource. They offer many wonderful workshops throughout the Bay Area that are nourishing and therapeutic for those caring for loved ones with challenging medical circumstances.

    My father attended a  class on voice/vocalization skills for people with progressive neurological diseases like Parkinsons at the East Bay JCC in Berkeley, which was taught by John Argue.  John became a dear friend to my dad; sadly both have passed away since then, but John's legacy continues at the JCC: https://www.jcceastbay.org/health-wellness and https://voiceforparkinsons.com/

    There are groups on MeetUp that your person can check out. 

    There are many excellent resources for people with Parkinson’s Disease in the East Bay. PD Active sponsors speakers’ forums and support groups in Berkeley and Oakland for people with Parkinson’s and their partners. PD Active also supports PD-specific movement and other exercise classes (Yoga for PD, Dance for PD, PWR! Moves, Be Heard!, Rock Steady Boxing) in the East Bay. All of their events and activities are listed on a community calendar at www.pdactive.org. Recently-diagnosed as well as longer-term diagnosed individuals should get involved and stay active.

    I don't have personal experience with it, but notice that Berkeley Ballet Theater offers a free movement class for people with PD. 

    http://www.berkeleyballet.org/danceforpd

Archived Q&A and Reviews


Neurologist specializing in Parkinson's?

Feb 2016

My mother was recently diagnosed with early Parkinson's Disease but would like a second opinion. Does anyone have a recommendation for a neurologist at UCSF or Stanford? She would prefer to go to a research institution where she could be notified about research studies. Thank you. Anon


My mother goes to Dr. Marta San Luciano at UCSF and loves her. Her road to finding her was long, as it often is with Parkinson's but she is definitely pleased with her care at UCSF. Daughter of PD Mom


It's best if you can see a motion disorder specialist (MDS), a subspeciality within neurology. We saw Dr Matthew Arnold, who is an MDS in Berkeley (Sutter, Telegraph). He was kind and may have been fine, but we had several recommendations to see Dr. Chadwick Christine (UCSF), so after a ~3 month wait, we saw him and switched my husband's care to Dr. Christine, who we've been very happy with. He's very involved and knowledgable about the latest PD research, but also has a nice bedside matter and is very responsive over email. Quite the journey for appointments, but luckily we only go every ~3 or more months right now. I've heard good things about several the neurologists at UCSF. -Kelsi (wife of PD patient)