The Parkinson’s Experience is a podcast hosted by a Person with Parkinson’s (PWP) and based on her daily experiences. Listen in on her journey living with the disease and how she lives her best life with humor, generosity, empathy and knowledge. Her conversations with experts and patients like you are fascinating and authentic. They cover relevant topics from DBS (Deep Brain Stimulation) to exercise to diet to medications to much more difficult subjects like personal relationships. Of the fe ...
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Living and aging in the perfect place often means renovating. Karen, an Aging in Place and Accessibility Strategist, knows that the renovations will involve not only the physical space where we live but also the way we think about how we live. Success is in the details!
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102 Art Therapy Part 3 Writing Keeps Your Brain Active and Learning
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Welcome to Part 3 of our series on the influence the Arts have on people with Parkinson’s and frankly most other conditions. It’s amazing what scientists are discovering about how much music, dance, painting, etc can be beneficial for brain health. I’ve been humbled by our guests. The more I listen to these amazing, brave people, the more I’m impre…
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101 Art Therapy Part 2 - Dancing the Symptoms Away
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Welcome to part two of our four-part series on the arts and Parkinson’s disease. If you haven’t listened to part one, you can definitely listen to this one but I encourage you to listen to part 1 on photography and hearing from our guest, Torrance York, who spoke passionately about photography and how it helps her gain perspective on her journey wi…
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100 Reverse Mic in Recognition of 100 Episodes
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So, I hope you enjoyed the first episode in our four-part series on the Arts and their potential for a better quality of life for people with Parkinson’s. We are going to take a quick brake in the series since this is the 100th episode of the Parkinson’s Experience. To celebrate and acknowledge he 100th episode, the interviewer became the interview…
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This episode kicks off our 4-part series featuring people with Parkinson’s who found one form of the arts to be helpful with managing symptoms and gaining perspective. We will explore four different art disciplines – photography, dance, writing and music. We wanted to hear directly from the person with Parkinson’s rather than an expert on the resea…
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Do you ever wonder why you feel better when nature's elements are brought into your environment? Linda Kafka joins us to explain the science behind what our bodies already know - that being one with nature gives us all the feels.By Karen L Brown
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Does your home contribute to your health or to your allergies, illness or discomfort? In this episode, Linda Kafka, a Well Accredited Professional, introduces us to the Well Building Standard and helps us understand how to make choices supporting wellness.
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Last episode we spoke with a MDS and Assistant Professor at Vanderbilt University about integrative medicine. This episode is a great follow up to the previous one. This time it is student at the University of Cincinnati leading the charge to bring an integrated approach to Parkinson’s care. She formed a not-for profit organization called Parkinson…
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Before you pick up a hammer or call a contractor, decisions must be made. In this podcast, we talk with Aging in Place expert, Linda Kafka, about the thinking and conversations we all need to have.By Karen L Brown
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What is integrative medicine and how is it different than what we are used to which is mostly silos of care and mostly Western medicine? My guest today will offer an alternative to this, a better way to treat a patient with a condition or disease. Dr. Britt Stone, an Assistant Clinical Professor at Vanderbilt Medical Center, spent her pandemic time…
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In April 2010, Allison (Allie) Toepperwein experienced a tremor in her left hand while living in Austin, Texas after giving birth to her daughter. Around eight months later, in December 2010, Steven Eury noticed a tremor in his right hand while filming the birth of his son 1100 miles away in North Carolina. The following year, Steven received a dia…
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Ron Wickman joins us to recap his experiences at the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada and Alberta Association of Architects conferences. Multiple people discussed accessibility! Ron also lets us in on whether or not he puts accessible design features into client projects without their knowledge.…
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What stage are you in? Do people ask you that question? If so, do you tell them? Do you even know? What are the stages and what do they mean? Frankly, I have never asked my movement disorder specialist neurologist what stage I am in. I don’t know why. We have never discussed it. However, learning and knowing more about how your doctor is tracking t…
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Earlier this season on episode number 088 titled “the Skinny on Skin” we learned about the various skin disorders that can manifest in people with Parkinson’s. Well, on the flip side, the skin is the largest organ in our body. It must hold all kinds of secrets to our health. It turns out alpha-synuclein gets deposited in the skin of patients with s…
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093 Follow Your Gut - The Importance of your microbiome on your health
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What do you know about your gut? In the last several years, research has led us to a more detailed understanding of the role of the gut – which includes the stomach, intestines, and colon. This isn’t your father’s understanding of the gut. So, what does the gut have to do with it? It being the possible cause of many diseases including Parkinson’s d…
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Part two of our conversation with Robert Lipka and Ron Wickman focuses on the issues small towns have with becoming accessible. Toward the end of the conversation, we talked about words and how they matter when discussing accessibility.By Karen L Brown
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092 Innovative Approach for Bladder Relief
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The topic today is one of those difficult to discuss symptoms that most of us try to avoid and deal with it on our own. Not a great idea. So, let’s learn about and discuss our bladders. You might have an overactive one which is also referred to as hyperactive or underactive one also referred to as hypoactive. Unfortunately, the probably of anyone h…
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Outdoor spaces must be accessible for those who enjoy gardening, socializing or sitting outside reading a book in nice weather. Some of those outdoor spaces are being reduced by the push toward infill housing. Today's podcast looks at both of these issues.By Karen L Brown
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Welcome to the third episode in our three-episode series on exercise. During the process of researching for this episode, I have found more and more studies showing that exercise does help reduce symptoms of PD. Very exciting to be able to take control of your journey by including certain exercises in your day and week. My guest today, Dean Laws, d…
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Welcome to part two in our series on exercise and how it has been proven to reduce the symptoms of PD. As one of my guests, Dr. Daniel Corcos, explains, “It is crystal clear, exercise slows the progression of Parkinson’s.” In this episode, Kristine Meldrum and Dr. Corcos, authors of the book “Parkinson’s: How to Reduce Symptoms Through Exercise,” c…
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OK, I know what you are thinking. Another exercise episode, really? Yes, but this isn’t your run of the mill plead for people with Parkinson’s to exercise more. Up until now, we have been told to exercise but not given any direction on which exercises are best for us. Recently friends recommended a book that is filling this deficit. It is based on …
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Often built in a hurry and usually an eyesore, ramps are the subject of my conversation with Ron Wickman. We'll talk about why the entry to the home needs to be given more thought, how to blend ramps in with your exterior and we'll suggest alternatives to that front yard monstrosity.By Karen L Brown
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Did you know that people with Parkinson’s disease have a higher risk of developing certain skin disorders than the rest of the population including melanomas? Have you had a skin issue pop up on you and not know what it is or how you got it? There is a good chance you were experiencing a manifestation of the Parkinson’s disease process or a side ef…
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My guest from the last episode on Nutrition, Debbie Polisky, is back to talk about stress and stress management. Research has shown stress can reduce a person’s life expectancy. How many years are we losing is determined by other factors and lifestyle choices. However, I am pretty sure everyone experiences stress in their lives so this episode is i…
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I haven't done a specific video or podcast on the very basic question of the why behind the need for all of us to think about our future in terms of access within our own homes. I'm going to talk about that today, and then I'm going to talk about the most basic action. Starting. Where do we start and how do we start?…
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It’s our first episode of 2024. How many of you have already stopped working on your New Year’s resolutions? History would suggest most people fail early. Some of you probably are striving to eat better for your Parkinson’s health and for your overall health. Therefore, it is the perfect time to discuss nutrition and diet. My guest is a dietician w…
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Hopes, Dreams & Wishes for Accessibility in 2024
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Ron Wickman and I have lots of things on our individual lists of hopes, dreams and wishes for accessibility in 2024. Join us as we discuss the top three on each list.By Karen L Brown
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Well, I can’t believe we find ourselves at the end of 2023. Where did the time go? I hope you had a good year. It was a fantastic year for Parkinson’s research and for this podcast. We witnessed a breakthrough in the study of PD with the discovery of a biomarker and how to test for it. That is a game changer. And this is my 85th episode of the Park…
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This episode is about communication via your voice. Are you being heard? Speech issues is one of those symptoms People with Parkinson’s most likely will need to address as part of the journey with this disease. Does Siri or Alexa understand you? Is it frustrating to use these smart voice assistants? Well, my guests are working to change all of that…
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When you or a loved one has a chronic condition, where do you go to find support, information and your “community”? People with Parkinson’s may not all have the combination of symptoms, but we are all better off when we seek out and find others like us who will be there for you and lift you up. I am grateful to have found a couple groups that have …
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Architect Ron Wickman and Contractor John Kupchenko both specialize in accessibility. They join us to discuss some of the ins and outs of building accessible homes.By Karen L Brown
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This episode is a feel good, inspirational story about the decision to have Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) surgery. Basically, it’s brain surgery and a major decision. I have the privilege of knowing my guest today and have followed her decision-making process and outcomes. As we know, every person with Parkinson’s is different. However, the decision…
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Gene therapy has been a previous topic on this podcast. However, it was from a neurosurgeon’s perspective. I continue to be very excited about the possibility’s gene therapy might have for modifying the effects of Parkinson’s disease - stopping the progression. My guest and the company he works for are on the cutting edge of gene therapy research. …
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As an Aging in Place and Accessibility Strategist, I am frequently asked questions by those who aren't sure where to start with planning for the years ahead. The questions vary but 6 of them are frequent flyer questions so this episode answers those 6 for everyone.By Karen L Brown
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Izzy Camilleri is a world-renowned Canadian fashion designer who turned her creative talent and energy to adaptive and inclusive clothing in 2004. Izzy believes that people of all ages and abilities should have access to clothing that is well-fitting and great looking in addition to being functional.…
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One of the most important problems to solve in the treatment of a disease is to find out how to measure its status in the person. In order to do that you need a biomarker to measure. For example, we take a blood test to measure cholesterol. If it is higher than normal, the physician can prescribe a diet and medication to treat it. Then, measure it …
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Have you ever felt completely exhausted or fatigued during the day? Does this happen frequently? Not sleepy but totally fatigued or tired. Well, this could be one of those non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease or a medication side effect or something else. Either way, it is really annoying and can affect our quality of life. We discuss fatigue …
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Planning for future needs is, perhaps, nowhere more important than the bathroom. Today Ron Wickman, an Architect who specializes in barrier-free design, and I discuss building a new bathroom as well as renovating an existing bathroom. We talk about challenges, language, styles, and yes, pricing.By Karen L Brown
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Our series with Architect Ron Wickman continues with a dive into making vertical movement within a house accessible.By Karen L Brown
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078 Strive for Symptom Objectivity with This Tool
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This is the fourth and final episode in our tech series. We could probably highlight many more innovative ideas and companies. It is a very exciting time for the use of technology in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. In this episode, we talk with a company whose product, StrivePD, is really cool and very useful. It is an app which communicates …
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We continue our series on accessible housing with a deep dive into making the entry to a house accessible.By Karen L Brown
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077 Modern Day Doctor House Call: Telehealth for PD
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This is our third episode in our series on the topic of using technology to assist you along your journey of living with Parkinson’s disease. In this episode, I speak with a representative of a company offering a telehealth platform specifically for neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson’s. We all quickly adopted to seeing our doctors via t…
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You want to buy a house but you already know that anything you buy will need renovations to accommodate your needs. Ron takes us through the first blush of assessing homes.By Karen L Brown
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Ron Wickman, an Architect specializing in barrier-free design, joins us for the first of a series on accessible housing. Today we review the history of accessibility in the residential space.By Karen L Brown
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076 PD Tech Part 2: Remote Patient Monitoring
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This is our second episode in our tech series. In the first episode we introduced you to a couple of physical items developed to help People with Parkinson’s improve their gait and avoid freezing. The other episodes, including this one, will be more about using the internet and software/apps to help you and your doctor monitor your symptoms and pro…
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We are kicking off our tech series with this episode. Technology has changed the way we interact with the world over the last couple of decades. The pace of change keeps accelerating. We can ask a small box any question and get an answer within seconds. We can pay for items with our phones. The list goes on. However, the healthcare environment hasn…
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When we hear the word “rehab,” what do we think of first? Some might think of a place where addicts go to get clean. Others might think of traumatic injuries sustained in an accident and the road to recovery. And still others might think of the place you go after a hospital stay of any length. In this episode, we will focus on rehab or rehabilitati…
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I really like the story you are about to hear. It’s uplifting because my guest is uplifting and inspiring with a nonstop positive outlook and genuine desire to help others. And, I also have come to love the sport of Pickleball. Pickleball is quite the popular sport and growing. About 48 million people in the US play. But, can it help with your Park…
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Pain. We have all felt it over the course of living our lives. However, it isn’t often discussed or attributed as a non-motor symptom of Parkinson’s disease. And yet, it can be one of those symptoms that most negatively impacts our quality of life. How common is it that people with Parkinson’s experience pain? Is it due to the disease or another ca…
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Spring is coming and with it comes the need to make sure that independence, safety and dignity can be maintained throughout the spring and summer seasons. Join us to review the 'honey do' list.By Karen L Brown
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Maintaining good overall health and quality of life is important to everyone. Part of the maintenance, my parents always taught me, is regularly visiting the dentist for cleanings and cavity checks. It turns out dental care is particularly important for people with Parkinson’s. Dental hygiene can be challenging for people with Parkinson’s due to th…
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