PMD Alliance Announces 2020 Program Line Up

As days shorten and temperatures dip, there is no doubt that we are moving deeper into autumn and towards winter. For the PMD Alliance team, this means pulling double duty: both executing 2019 programs and planning for the next year. 2020 promises to be an exciting year for us and I am thrilled to share a few highlights on what we have in store.

Our in-person programs will continue to serve the entire Movement Disorder Care & Support Ecosystem©; not just people living with movement disorders, but also family members, care partners, and support group leaders. Our Spotlight!® on Treatment workshop series will take place in 10 markets across the country, offering deep dives into the disease process, specific symptoms and medication or treatment options. After a huge success with our pilot event in Phoenix, we will be expanding Spotlight® on Research to additional markets. Spotlight!® on Research brings together multiple research centers for an update on local research going on in your neighborhood, and ways to apply research to your life – TODAY.

The newest addition to our Spotlight!® series will be a pilot in Albuquerque, NM: Spotlight!® on Emotional Health. We’ve heard a resounding consensus from across the country – emotional health is not discussed enough yet is crucial to overall well-being. We agree and have developed an agenda to address this unmet need. Stay tuned for additional Spotlight!® on Emotional Health programs to be added next year in other locations.

Speaking of new, we have created an entirely new workshop called Getting Real™: Straight talk about difficult symptoms and preparing for what’s ahead. Getting Real™ is open to care partners and family members only, and is a head on, eyes wide open look at advanced Parkinson’s and how to prepare mentally, emotionally, and pragmatically. We debuted the program in Phoenix, made some refinements, and on December 6^th will take what we learned for round 2 in Arcadia, CA at Getting Real™: LA County . In 2020, we are lining up additional markets – stay tuned for where and when.

Care partners and family members will have five Renew! Retreats® to choose from across the country, including the new market of Pewaukee, WI, where we are excited to be partnering with the Wisconsin Parkinson’s Association. Collaboration is a core belief of PMD Alliance, and we are always eager to meet local or regional organizations to partner with. On the national level, 2020 brings a closer partnership with the Davis Phinney Foundation. We are working together to offer In Sync!™ Support Group Leader Workshops in a few Victory Summit markets, specifically Albany, NY and Baton Rouge, LA. We created a new staff position – Manager, In Sync!™ Network – so overall, our support group leader programming will have even more depth and range in the new year!

Can’t make it to a live in-person event? No matter where you live, our NeuroLife Online® lineup has something for everyone. Next year, we will continue our popular Lunch with Docs™ and Therapy Break™ programs, plus we have a few more ideas up our sleeve, so stay tuned! And you don’t have to wait for 2020 – on December 4^th, catch the newest episode of wHolistic!™. Hosted by MDS Indu Subramanian, MD (select California and scroll down for bio), this program explores the intersection of integrative medicine and Parkinson’s care. On December 4^th, our featured guest will be Laurie Mischley, ND, PhD, MPH, of Bastyr University, and the topic will be Naturopathic Medicine and Parkinson’s.

We hope to see you online in December, and in a town near you next year!  Below is just a snapshot of our programs for people impacted by Parkinson disease and other movement disorders in the works for 2020.

Sarah Jones, MPA, MS Strategic Design
CEO, PMD Alliance