Various allied health professionals hold promise of changing the landscape of clinical practice for their clients by providing consistent standard of care of the treatment and management of Parkinson’s disease. That’s because more and more health professionals have access to the Canadian Guidelines on Parkinson’s Disease (CGPD) disseminated by Parkinson Society Canada (PSC).

Last month PSC attended the Canadian Pharmacist Conference in Saskatoon where pharmacists were introduced to the Parkinson Guidelines for Pharmacists, an article published in the May/June 2014 issue of the Canadian Pharmacists Journal. The article emphasizes the role pharmacists play in the care of individuals living with Parkinson’s. Given the fact that community pharmacists are knowledgeable about how medications work and their side-effects, they can better support both patients and physicians in the ongoing management of medications.

June also saw PSC at the Canadian Neurological Sciences Federation (CNSF) Conference in Banff, Alberta.   PSC supported Drs. Alfonso Fasano and Mandar Jog, an author and reviewer of the CGPD, present a session to neurologists on the most up to date research on the management of Parkinson’s disease. The doctors discussed how the CGPD serve as a guide in assessing drug therapies, identifying appropriate treatment options and/or surgical treatment choices. Delivering consistent care will allow people with Parkinson’s to make better informed decisions regarding their personal treatment choices.

In June PSC continued to build professional partnerships, this time with the Canadian Association of Neuroscience Nurses (CANN) at their annual conference, also held in Banff. Lucie Lachance, a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Movement Disorders at the Montreal Neurological Hospital at the McGill University Health Centre, delivered a workshop to help nurses apply the CGPD to their clinical practice in the management of their Parkinson’s patients.

Topics ranged from early onset Parkinson’s (diagnosis of adults aged 21 to 39 years) to the more advanced stages of the disease, outlining how to best treat and manage Parkinson’s patients based on the recommendations laid out in the CGPD. The workshop utilized realistic scenarios that neuroscience nurses may encounter in everyday practice to identify appropriate interventions that would help maintain a higher quality of life for people living with Parkinson’s.

Professionals in all disciplines offer their unique perspective when treating people with Parkinson’s. Clinicians are encouraged to provide feedback to the CGPD through the online survey available at ParkinsonClinicalGuidelines.ca.

PSC will continue to expand its continuing education and development activities for health professionals in Canada through established relationships with physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech-language pathologists.

For resources for individuals visit www.parkinson.ca and visit the Resources section of the website for health professionals at ParkinsonClinicalGuidelines.ca. For more information, contact Grace.Ferrari@parkinson.ca, National Manager, Professional and Public Education.