The Parkinson's Vitality Project Podcast

On this episode I talk with Melody McLaughlin, the Senior Community Program Manager from the New England Chapter of the Parkinson's Foundation. We talk about the resources on the Foundation's website as well as the programs that the Foundation runs to help educate and support people with Parkinson's as well as friends and family members who want to understand more about the disease and learn about how they can support their loved one.

If you want more information about the resources we discuss in this episode, you can visit: 

This week on the podcast I am speaking with Amanda Bouchard, a Certified Therapeutic Recreational Specalist with Northeast Passage. Northeast Passage is an organization in New Hampshire that organizes adaptive recreational and sports programs for people with disabling conditions. Their mission is to empower people living with disabling conditions, both visible and invisible, to define, pursue and achieve whole life health, community engagement and fulfillment through the purposeful use of sports and recreation; to develop and promote best practices in the fields of Therapeutic Recreation and Adaptive Sports. 

Amanda and I speak about how Northeast Passage began and some of the programs they offer. We also talk about some of the adaptations that can help people who have mobility struggles to participate in the activities they love, including cycling, golf and archery. 

This week on the Parkinson's Vitality Project Podcast I am speaking with Brett MIller, owner and head coach at 110 Fitness in Rockland, MA. Brett has been a PT for 26 years in a variety of settings, and was an adaptive sports coach for New England Disabled Sports at Loon Mountain for 17 years. 110 Fitness is an inclusive wellness center for individuals afflicted with disease and/or developmental or physical disability. In addition to the physical gym in Rockland, the gym has now expanded to offer an app which houses all of the fitness programs for subscribers who are not from the eastern Massachusetts area.

You can find out more about 110 Fitness and the 110 Fitness app at: https://110fitness.org/

This week on the podcast I am going over some of the questions I get commonly asked and where I find resources for people with Parkinson's. I talk about what is available from the Parkinson's Foundation to support people with PD as well as how to find Centers of Excellence, support groups and exercise classes in your community. 

To reach the Parkinson Foundation: www.parkinson.org

To reach the American Parkinson Disease Association: www.apdaparkinson.org

If you want to contact Anne, you can reach her at:
anne.envision@gmail.com

Did you set a New Years Resolution for yourself this year? Have you kept it up? In this episode we talk about why many times people don't stick with new years resolutions and goals and what we can do to help ourselves to achieve the goals we set for ourselves. I talk about how having a vision of what you ultimately want can help to keep you motivated to continue to work towards your goals, and some of the ways you can break large goals up into smaller more achievable ones so that you can celebrate success along the way. 

Hopefully this can help make 2021 the best year for you to work towards your goals!

If you want to contact Anne, you can reach her at:
anne.envision@gmail.com

This is the 3rd and final episode of the Oral Health Mini Series. In this series, we have looked  at the importance of oral health and how to maintain it. I will be speaking with a dentist, speech and language pathologist and an occupational therapist about why oral health is important for overall health and what you can do to help keep your mouth, teeth and gums healthy.

On this episode I am once again speaking with Cassie Lorie, Occupational Therapist from Brain Body Better. We discuss some of the difficulties that people with Parkinson's and other mobility problems can have when performing their oral care. We also discuss some exercises that people can do to help maintain their hand and arm function to make it easier to do good oral care as well as adaptive equipment that people can use to help them maintain good oral health. 

I hope you enjoyed this mini series! 

Some of the resources we talk about during this episode include:

Today we are continuing the 3 week Oral Health Mini Series. We continue to look at  importance of oral health and how to maintain it. During the series, I will be speaking with a dentist, speech and language pathologist and an occupational therapist about why oral health is important for overall health and what you can do to help keep your mouth, teeth and gums healthy.

On the 2nd episode of the Oral Health Mini Series I am once again speaking with Kaila McCarthy from Brain Body Better. Kaila is passionate about helping her clients maintain good oral health. We talk about why taking care of your mouth and reducing the bacteria in that area is be so important. In addition we discuss the risk factors for developing an aspiration pneumonia and areas you can control to reduce those risk factors.

This week we are beginning a 3 week mini-series looking at the importance of oral health and how to maintain it. I will be speaking with a dentist, speech and language pathologist and an occupational therapist about why oral health is important for overall health and what you can do to help keep your mouth, teeth and gums healthy. 

This week I am speaking with Dr Gregory Wu, a dentist at Emerson Dental in Westford, Massachusetts. We talk about why dental health is important for overall health, the reasons that we need to brush and floss, and the importance of being seen by the dentist regularly in order to ensure that we are managing bacteria in the mouth to prevent tooth decay. We also talk about why a dentist may recommend more frequent tooth cleanings for prevention. 

You can find out more about Dr. Wu's practice at: https://www.emerson-dental.com/
or on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/emersondental

As always, if you want to contact Anne, you can reach her at: anne.envision@gmail.com

One of the most frustrating things for people with Parkinson's is fatigue, or feeling exhausted and not being able to get through one's day. In this week's podcast, Anne talks about some of the tips she gives people who are having trouble getting it all done because they get tired during the day. 

If you want to contact Anne, you can reach her at: anne.envision@gmail.com

This week Anne talks with Cassie Lorie, an occupational therapist who is certified in LSVT LOUD and Low Vision therapy through the American Occupational Therapy Association. In addition to working to adults manage chronic health conditions (like Parkinson's) using a holistic, community based approach, Cassie is one of the founders of Engage Brain Body Better and Brain Body Better where she does telehealth wellness and therapy to help people with PD live their best lives. In this episode we talk about what some of the ways that occupational therapy can help people manage the problems with fine motor control that people with Parkinson's can develop. We also talk about the handwriting group that Cassie is running through  her business Engage Brain Body Better.

This week Anne talks with Cassie Lorie, an occupational therapist who is certified in LSVT LOUD and Low Vision therapy through the American Occupational Therapy Association. In addition to working to adults manage chronic health conditions (like Parkinson's) using a holistic, community based approach, Cassie is one of the founders of Engage Brain Body Better and Brain Body Better where she does telehealth wellness and therapy to help people with PD live their best lives. In this episode we talk about what occupational therapy is, why people may seek out occupational therapy and some of the ways that an occupational therapist can help with low vision.

In this episode of the podcast, Anne talks with Kaila McCarthy. Kaila is a speech therapist who is certified in LSVT LOUD, LSVT Loud for Life and SpeakOut! who works with people with PD via telehealth wellness and therapy appointments with Engage Brain Body Better and Brain Body better. 

In the episode we talk about what speech therapy is and the role plays in helping people with PD. We go over the more common conditions that speech therapy treats for people with PD, including voice training, cognitive training and swallowing. In addition, we talk about things to look out for when you have PD in order to maintain optimal health.

Today on the podcast, Anne talks with Katie Moulison, a physical therapist and Orthopedic Clinical Specialist who  specializes in treating people who have pain, including chronic and persistent pain. She is the owner of Kathryn Moulison Physical Therapy, where she uses her passion for educating clients on strategies to help overcome their persistent pain and live life to the fullest. She believes in providing her clients with support that meets them where they are - both literally, through mobile and telehealth services, and figuratively, by listening to her clients stories and helping them follow the path to feeling better through a holistic approach.

We talk about the the ways that people can help to manage their persistent and chronic pain. We talk about the role of physical therapy in helping people navigate the management of pain and some things that one can do in their daily lives to help them feel like they have some measure of control over their pain.

Today on the podcast, Anne talks with Katie Moulison, a physical therapist and Orthopedic Clinical Specialist who  specializes in treating people who have pain, including chronic and persistent pain. She is the owner of Kathryn Moulison Physical Therapy, where she uses her passion for educating clients on strategies to help overcome their persistent pain and live life to the fullest. She believes in providing her clients with support that meets them where they are - both literally, through mobile and telehealth services, and figuratively, by listening to her clients stories and helping them follow the path to feeling better through a holistic approach.

We talk about the different types of pain that affects the general population, and some of the risk factors that put people with Parkinson's at a higher risk to develop persistent pain. In addition we talk about some of the treatment strategies that people use to manage their pain and how a well rounded, holistic approach is best for long term optimal management of pain.

Today on the podcast concludes Anne's conversation with Casey Farlow, MPH, RDN, CHC, CLT. Casey is a dietitian and functional nutrition health coach and the co-creator of the Parkinson's Gut Health Protocol. She helps people with Parkinson's better manage their symptoms and health through diet and the use of appropriate supplements. She talks in this episode about what some recommendations for people with Parkinson's in regards to supplements as well as discussing what coaching can do for you.

Today on the podcast Anne talks with Casey Farlow, MPH, RDN, CHC, CLT. Casey is a dietitian and functional nutrition health coach and the co-creator of the Parkinson's Gut Health Protocol. She helps people with Parkinson's better manage their symptoms and health through diet and the use of appropriate supplements. She talks in this episode about what functional  nutrition is, how she uses her knowledge to help determine what someone with Parkinson's may need, and some of the supplements that have been shown to help people with Parkinson's. 

This week on the podcast Anne speaks with Caitlin Hyatt, Neurologic Music therapist at MedRhythms. They discuss what music therapy and neurological music therapy, how music therapy is different from just playing music, and how it can help people with Parkinson’s. Caitlin talks about what music therapy sessions consist of and how she adapts music to help people to meet their goals. She also discusses some of the ways people can find music therapists and how MedRhythms is expanding to help people who would benefit from music therapy around the country and globe.

For more information and MedRhythms you can visit:

Today I talk with Char Grossman, the director and founder of Yoga Reach. Char is a compassionate, highly trained, nationally certified school psychologist and certified yoga therapist who has used yoga in her own life as a complementary consistent practice to strengthen and restore her body, retrain her mind, and develop an optimistic mindful lifestyle. She has developed the YogaReach Mindful Movement Program and now teaches Mindful Movement classes for people with Parkinson’s at Be In Motion in Ohio.

In this episode, Char and I talk about some of the benefits of Yoga for people with Parkinson’s, and how she incorporates breathing, mindfulness, and cognition (brain teasers) into her yoga program.

In this episode, Anne talks with Sarah Palmer, the owner and founder of Forever Fitness in Cincinnati, Ohio. She is an exercise physiologist who has worked with people with Parkinson’s Disease for over 24 years as well as helped with advocacy for people with PD. Her exercise philosophy is: “The purpose of exercising is to have your body and brain feel better and to be healthier. Exercise enables you to do all the things you want to do for as long as possible, in short, to be “forever fit”. My approach is to exercise in a safe, effective, efficient and progressive manner with lots of variety. I want clients to feel better, healthier, be able to do things that they weren’t able to do before.”

Toda, we talk about how she takes that philosophy and uses it in her work teaching Rock Steady Boxing, PWR!Moves classes. We discuss what each of these classes include and how they are beneficial for people living with PD.

For April, the Parkinson's Vitality Project will be running a special series on lifestyle changes you can make to support your management of non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's Disease. Each week we will discuss a different non-motor symptom and what you can do in your daily life to support  your medical management for it.

This week we discuss Fatigue and Apathy in Parkinson's. These symptoms can be some of the most debilitating and frustrating for people with Parkinson's to deal with,  yet there are few proven therapies to manage them. We talk about what fatigue and apathy are, how they can be influenced by other non-motor symptoms, and how they affect people with PD and their caregivers. We also talk about some lifestyle tips to try and help improve your ability to stay active with them.

If you have any comments or questions you can contact me at my email address: anne.envision@gmail.com

For April, the Parkinson's Vitality Project will be running a special series on lifestyle changes you can make to support your management of non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's Disease. Each week we will discuss a different non-motor symptom and what you can do in your daily life to support  your medical management for it.

This week we discuss pain and Parkinson's. Pain is a common symptom of Parkinson's, however it is not exclusively caused by Parkinson's. In the episode we talk about different types and causes of pain. In addition we discuss tips for management of pain to improve movement and quality of life.

If you have any comments or questions you can contact me at my email address: anne.envision@gmail.com

Or you can find me on my social media platforms:
You can follow Anne on social media at any of these links:

For April, the Parkinson's Vitality Project will be running a special series on lifestyle changes you can make to support your management of non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's Disease. Each week we will discuss a different non-motor symptom and what you can do in your daily life to support  your medical management for it.

This week we discuss Depression and how it affects people with Parkinson's Disease. Depression has been recognized as a symptom of PD since it was first described by James Parkinson in 1817 and is one of the more common non-motor symptoms. Many of the symptoms of depression can mimic those of Parkinson's making it difficult to distinguish between the two. It also means that when you are able to manage depression, some symptoms of Parkinson's may be relieved as well. In this episode we dive in to what causes depression, risk factors for depression and tips for helping manage your depression in conjunction with medical management.

If you have any comments or questions you can contact me at my email address: anne.envision@gmail.com

Or you can find me on my social media platforms:
You can follow Anne on social media at any of these links:

For April, the Parkinson's Vitality Project will be running a special series on lifestyle changes you can make to support your management of non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's Disease. Each week we will discuss a different non-motor symptom and what you can do in your daily life to support  your medical management for it.

This week we discuss anxiety and how it can show up in Parkinson's disease. We talk about the possible causes of anxiety, list some of the types of anxiety, and discuss how anxiety can affect your Parkinson's symptoms as well as your overall health. Finally we go over various ways to manage anxiety, beginning with speaking with your doctor about your anxiety and seeking out a mental health professional as well as things you can do as part of your daily life to manage anxiety better.

If you have any comments or questions you can contact me at my email address: anne.envision@gmail.com

Or you can find me on my social media platforms:
You can follow Anne on social media at any of these links:

For April, the Parkinson's Vitality Project will be running a special series on lifestyle changes you can make to support your management of non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's Disease. Each week we will discuss a different non-motor symptom and what you can do in your daily life to support  your medical management for it.

This week we discuss sleep disorders with Parkinson's Disease. We will talk about the importance of sleep and different common sleep problems people with Parkinson's can experience. We will then go over suggestions for things you can do in your daily life to support a better night sleep and in order to feel and move your best.

If you have any comments or questions you can contact me at my email address: anne.envision@gmail.com 

Or you can find me on my social media platforms:
You can follow Anne on social media at any of these links:

This episode is all about the importance of finding a community and staying connected with Parkinson's Disease. This topic is timely as we are now being forced to social distance due to the Corona virus as this episode is being released. Despite restrictions it is important to know that we can share our ups and downs with others and stay connected in our lives. 

There are many great support groups on social media for people with Parkinson's Disease. Feel free to reach out to find out more!

You can follow Anne on social media at any of these links:

In this episode we talk about some of the reasons why exercise is so important when one has Parkinson's disease. We go over some of the research about exercise that suggests that it helps to slow progression of PD and how exercise can promote some improvements in how you move.

In this episode, Anne talks about how mindset, or how you think about yourself and the world around you, can effect the quality of your life. She talks about her own experiences with changing her mindset and how that has led to better quality of life for  herself and the people she works with.

You can follow Anne on social media at any of these links:

In this episode the host, Anne Gould, PT introduces herself and talks about how she became interested in helping people with Parkinson's. She also talks about the purpose of the podcast and what she hopes you can get out of it.

You can follow Anne on social media at any of these links: