Guides for Living Well with Parkinson's

For people living with Parkinson’s disease (PD), exercise can raise questions: Why should I exercise? How often should I exercise with Parkinson’s? Will working out affect the medications I take for PD? How can I motivate my husband/wife/loved one with Parkinson’s to exercise? In this guide, we share answers to these questions and many more.

A healthy diet can be a powerful tool to boost health and well-being, whether you live with Parkinson’s or not. For people with Parkinson’s, diet can ease symptoms and boost medication benefit, too. This guide tells you how and also offers tips and tricks for healthy eating, cooking and meal prepping; sample recipes; community member perspectives; and more.

Researchers now understand that there is so much we can do in our daily lives to boost brain health. From diet and exercise to social connection, research is piecing together the puzzle of how best to care for our precious brain, how to prevent disease and, if disease does arise, how to best treat it.

This guide offers practical tips for boosting brain health and limiting risk, and highlights the latest advances in brain research and the critical role we all play in moving research forward.

One of the most common questions people with Parkinson’s ask is, “What about medical marijuana?” Many are curious if and how it might work for different symptoms, and what the research says. In this guide, we offer information about medical marijuana and Parkinson’s, tips for talking with your doctor, and more.

The best doctor for you has the right credentials, and a personality, practice and treatment approach that match your wants and needs. But how do you find that doctor? Consider these tips.

This newly updated resource educates patients and care partners about deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery as a treatment option to help manage symptoms; provides practical tips for thinking about, undergoing and living with DBS; includes perspectives and voices from the patient and family community and medical experts; and shares the latest research and DBS devices available.

Mood changes, such as depression, anxiety or apathy (lack of motivation) can happen to anyone, but they may be more common in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Here, find answers to common questions about mood changes in Parkinson’s.

Thinking and memory changes can be among the most concerning potential symptoms of Parkinson’s. This guide was developed in collaboration with patients, families and clinicians to offer definitions of cognitive changes and strategies to manage these changes if they occur.

Living with Parkinson’s for many years or decades can bring new or more symptoms, care needs or emotions for people living with PD, their care partners and families. Learn more and get practical tips for progressing Parkinson’s.

No matter where you are in life or with Parkinson’s, it may be helpful to think about and plan for the future. Get step-by-step guidance, information and tips for considering the future, making plans and talking with loved ones.

As more treatments for Parkinson’s become available for doctors to prescribe to their patients, it is important to review how PD is discussed in research and care. For greater confidence in talking with your doctor and managing your symptoms, familiarize yourself with commonly used terms.

When visiting family who have Parkinson's, you may not know what to expect or how to talk about and manage change. In this guide, Dr. Dolhun provides practical tips on preparing for and getting the most out of your visit.

Stress comes in many shapes and sizes, but we all have it. For people with Parkinson’s, stress can bring on or worsen symptoms. It might increase tremor or bring on a freezing episode (a sudden, temporary inability to move). Here are a few tips to help lessen stress and defuse tense situations.

During the warmer months, people with Parkinson’s disease may need to take extra precautions to make the most of experiences while outdoors and on vacation. Consider these five tips this summer.

No matter when or how Parkinson's enters a child's world, they will likely have questions about the disease and also fears or misinformation. This guide offers practical tips to help you have a productive conversation about Parkinson's with children of all ages.

Repurposing — studying approved medications to see if they have benefit in Parkinson's — can potentially speed drug development. This guide discusses how drugs are repurposed and what you should consider if you are thinking about taking a repurposed therapy while it's in testing for Parkinson's.

If you are considering sharing your diagnosis in the workplace, use this guide to help you outline your strategy, create talking points, deliver your news and navigate others' reactions.

After you've shared your diagnosis in the workplace, use this guide to help continue the conversation, manage long-term professional relationships and plan for situations you may face at work.

Many people with Parkinson's have trouble with sleep: difficulty falling or staying asleep, acting out dreams, and others. This guide outlines common sleep problems and their treatments and offers tips for good sleep.

Lonnie Ali, wife of the late Muhammad Ali and member of The Michael J. Fox Foundation's Founders' Council, offers advice about Parkinson's and relationships and how to balance caring for a family member and yourself.