The half-day event is Saturday, March 2, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in the conference center of the Rudd Heart and Lung Building, 201 Abraham Flexner Way, next to Jewish Hospital. There is no charge to attend.

Ahlskog, professor of neurology at Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine, is the author of a popular guide for people with Parkinson’s disease and their families. He will give the keynote talk for the symposium, “Debunking Ten Myths that May Sabotage Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease.”

In addition, Karen Robinson, PhD, FAAN, of the , will discuss the importance of support for caregivers, and Robert Friedland, MD, professor and researcher in the Department of Neurology at UofL, will explain the impact of the microbiome in Parkinson’s disease and dementia. Finally, a panel discussion will include providers from the .

“We have organized this opportunity to allow patients and their families to meet one another and to learn about the best ways to manage the journey of Parkinson’s disease,” said Kathrin LaFaver, MD, director of the UofL Physicians – Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders clinic and the at the . “This year, they will have a unique chance to hear from Dr. Ahlskog, a renowned expert in Parkinson’s care. We also will introduce a caregivers’ support group, which will begin in March.”

Parkinson’s disease caregiver support group

Caring for a partner or family member with Parkinson’s disease has many rewards, but also has been associated with physical, mental, social and financial stressors. Beginning in March, the UofL Physicians – Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders clinic will offer a monthly caregiver support group led by Kelly Bickett, a registered nurse in the movement clinic with special expertise in the care of Parkinson’s disease. To facilitate attendance at support group meetings, respite care will be made available on an as-needed basis through a professional health-care agency for up to four hours. 

The group will begin Friday, March 29, and meet the fourth Friday of each month from 2:30 to 4 p.m. Register for the support group by calling 502-582-7654.

Bill Collins Symposium for Parkinson’s Disease agenda

• Keynote: “Debunking Ten Myths that May Sabotage Treatment,” by J. Eric Ahlskog, MD, PhD
• Active Break: Dance for Health – David X. Thurmond, professional dancer, choreographer and teacher
• Microbiome in Parkinson’s disease and dementia – Robert P. Friedland, MD, UofL Department of Neurology and the Mason C. and Mary D. Rudd Endowed Chair in Neurology
• Supporting caregivers of those with Parkinson’s disease – Karen Robinson, PhD, FAAN, UofL School of Nursing
• Panel discussion with Ahlskog and Kathrin LaFaver, MD, along with Victoria Holiday, MD, UofL Department of Neurology and Laura Dixon, D.N.P. A.P.R.N., UofL Physicians – Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders.

There is no charge to attend the symposium, but please register by Feb. 25 by calling 502-582-7654 or via email. Include your name, the number of guests attending and a telephone number.

“It started with my head sort of twitching back and forth, like when you shake your head ‘no.’ It was completely involuntary,” Semple explained. “It progressed to other areas of my body over time. You know when you relax and you have a little twitch? Imagine that except a hundred times bigger and over and over again so you could never fall asleep. It was horrible.”

The symptoms interfered with Semple’s sleep as well as her work as a massage therapist and dancer. Unable to detect a physical cause for the symptoms, numerous physicians and other health providers in her home state of Delaware told her they likely were caused by stress. Finally, in 2016, a neurologist gave her condition a name: functional movement disorder.

Internet research led Semple to Kathrin LaFaver, MD, a neurologist at the University of Louisville and director of the . LaFaver developed the (MoRe), one of only a few such programs in existence for the treatment of FMD. MoRe was modeled after a program at Mayo Clinic and combines neurological treatment, psychological counseling, and physical and occupational therapy overseen by Darryl Kaelin, M.D., during a week-long inpatient therapy at Frazier Rehab Institute, a part of KentuckyOne Health. The program aims to improve patients’ motor symptoms, help them regain control over abnormal movements and develop better coping skills.

Functional Movement Disorders are common conditions involving abnormal movements – jerking, tremor or issues with gait or speech. The problems are due to miscommunications in the central nervous system. Patients often complain of fatigue and difficulties with concentration and thinking.

“Functional disorders are in the borderland between neurology and psychiatry, and there is a lack of treatment programs for the conditions. Diagnostic tests do not reveal a cause for the FMD, so patients experiencing symptoms often are told by neurologists that ‘nothing is wrong,’ and may be referred to a psychiatrist,” LaFaver said.

FMD can be triggered by psychological or physical stress or trauma, or may have no obvious trigger. Although it is not revealed in traditional imaging or other diagnostics, the condition is potentially reversible through multidisciplinary therapy. Patients from 25 states have undergone week-long inpatient therapy for FMD in the MoRe program at UofL. More than 85 percent of patients undergoing the MoRe program have shown improvement in their symptoms after one week of treatment, and 69 percent report the improvement of symptoms was maintained after six months.

Semple experienced significant improvement during her week of intensive therapy tailored to her individual needs and symptoms.

“After a decade of people telling me ‘take a vacation,’ or ‘there is nothing wrong with you,’ the care at UofL and Frazier was the best ever. Everyone – whatever their part was – they really cared,” Semple said.

“All of my life was wrapped up in trying to manage these symptoms. The treatment literally gave me my life back.”