UW’s Wyoming Center on Aging to Offer Webinars on Parkinson’s Disease

The University of Wyoming’s Wyoming Center on Aging (WyCOA) -- in partnership with the UW Division of Communication Disorders and the Parkinson’s Foundation -- will offer two free webinars on Parkinson’s disease to individuals living with the disease, care partners, families and health care professionals.

Barbara Leffler and Gary Drescher will present “Hospital Safety with Parkinson’s Disease” Saturday, April 27, from 11 a.m.-noon. The webinar is intended for individuals with Parkinson’s disease, their care partners and families. To register for the webinar, go here.

The webinar will focus on the Hospital Safety Guide, which is designed to help individuals with Parkinson’s and care partners understand the risks of hospitalization for people with Parkinson’s disease. Leffler and Drescher will present strategies that individuals can use to advocate for themselves in the hospital before a problem occurs; discuss how to organize care information to use in the hospital, whether it is a planned or emergency visit; and provide step-by-step instructions for use during a hospitalization.

Leffler, a Parkinson’s Foundation Hospital Lead Ambassador, is care partner to her husband, Drescher. She is a retired clinical psychologist and registered nurse. Drescher, a Parkinson’s Foundation Ambassador, has lived with Parkinson’s disease since 2017. He is a Vietnam veteran and retired community manager. 

Annie Brooks and Dr. Michael Korsmo will lead “Parkinson’s Disease: Interdisciplinary Excellence in Hospital Care,” a webinar for health care professionals. The webinar will be Friday, May 17, from noon-1 p.m. To register, go here.

The webinar aims to build health care professionals’ knowledge of the needs of individuals with Parkinson’s during a hospital stay to improve patient outcomes during hospitalization.

Brooks is director of strategic initiatives at the Parkinson’s Foundation, where she leads the expansion of the Hospital Care Initiative. Her current priorities include coordinating Parkinson’s inpatient quality improvement-focused research initiatives and directing the Parkinson’s Foundation Hospital Care Learning Collaborative.

Korsmo is an assistant professor of neurology at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. He is a board-certified neurologist with fellowship training in movement disorders. He has an interest in rural health care access.

For more information about these events or other free educational opportunities offered by WyCOA, call (307) 766-2829, email wycoa@uwyo.edu or visit the website at www.uwyo.edu/wycoa.