Parkinson's has a Smell? | Powerful People Interview with Alison Williams

Powerful People Interview with Power for Parkinson’s Co-Founders

Power for Parkinson's' Zoom Meeting with Parkinson's Foundation Representative, Dan Novak PhD

Please join us for an interview with visionary and founder of Dance for PD, David Leventhal. Gain insights into the power of dance and movement for someone with Parkinson's. In addition to a Q&A you will have the opportunity to experience a movement experience led by David himself!

Ashley Hall PT, DPT will sit down along with Executive Director Dr. Nina Mosier and Lead Fitness Instructor, Lauren Lewis to discuss his Physical Therapy and it's impact on Parkinson's. Ashley Hall is a physical therapist at Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation Outpatient Therapy in South Austin where she is passionate about bringing evidence-based care to the neurologically impaired patient population to improve function and overall quality of life. She is certified in LSVT Big therapy and treats many PD patients in the Austin area. She decided to become a physical therapist after going through her own health issues. During her recovery from numerous surgeries, she felt inspired by the field that helped her regain her quality of life.

Please join Power for Parkinson's Executive Director, Nina Mosier, as she chats with PFP vocal exercise instructor Maggie Moore and Nickole Hines-Staples, Director of SLP Clinical Education for the USAHS MS-SLP Program. We will talk about why vocal exercise is important for those with Parkinson's, how Power for Parkinson's Vocal Exercise program can improve your vocal power, and more. Bring any questions you may have to ask in the live chat!

Allan Cole Ph.D. will sit down along with Executive Director Dr. Nina Mosier to discuss his Parkinson's blog PDWise and more. Allan Cole is senior associate dean for academic affairs and professor in the Steve Hicks School of Social Work at The University of Texas at Austin. He is also, by courtesy, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences in the Dell Medical School. He was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease four years ago, at the age of 48. Allan is the author or editor of 12 books. His two latest books will published in 2021, Counseling Persons with Parkinson’s Disease (Oxford University Press) and Discerning the Way: Lessons from Parkinson’s Disease (Cascade). He serves on the Board of Directors at Power for Parkinson’s and moderates PD Wise (pdwise.com), a hub for sharing personal stories, experiences, and wisdom gained from living with Parkinson’s that aims to encourage personal connections and opportunities for learning. Allan also serves as a Community Advocate for ParkinsonsDisease.net, and occasionally as a guest contributor to the Michael J. Fox Foundation’s Team Fox Blog, writing columns about living well with Parkinson’s.

Power for Parkinson's has seen tremendous growth and is now happy to offer 13 free weekly classes at 9 different locations. We offer a wide variety of fitness classes including Move & Shout, Brain & Body, Strength & Balance, Rhythm & Moves, as well as a weekly Powerful Pipes singing group, Young Onset Circuit Training, and many opportunities to socialize. We are proud to say we have garnered international recognition for our unique program. All our classes continue to grow year after year, and our free home YouTube exercise series is reaching people on all 7 continents. New this summer, and in response to numerous inquiries, we will be offering our first official instructor training program so others can learn to teach our Parkinson's symptom focused approach. Money earned by participating in Amplify Austin will be used to support this ongoing programming and allow us to continue to expand services offered to those with Parkinson's Disease and their care partners.

On this edition we want to introduce PFP participant Ron Peterson - he has been with us for more than 2 years. Ron is known in our community for attending classes 3 times a week, always getting in early and helping set up the room. He is kind and supportive of his fellow participants and loves a good laugh. He also volunteers at a local Austin university helping students with their research on PD. Thank you Ron for your enthusiasm, commitment, and everything you do for your community!

In our new "Powerful People" feature, we want to highlight some of the amazing people that make the Power for Parkinson's community so great! Whether you follow her videos on YouTube or have attended at least one of her very fun and energetic classes, you probably know our lead instructor Lauren Lewis. This month, our staff sat down and had a little chat with her! We learned about her career journey as well as what motivates and powers up her personality. Anyways, we don't want to spoil all the fun. Click on the video above and see it for yourself! Thank you Lauren for your enthusiasm and dedication to your work and PFP.