A Membership program for senior living communities and home care agencies.
The program provides a full curriculum of Parkinson’s education through virtual and in-person training. Utilizing the train-the-trainer model, the membership program educates site champions at each location and provides the necessary tools to educate at least 70% of staff at their site.
The program, formerly Struthers Parkinson’s Care Network, has continued to expand and now includes more than 70 member sites across North America. The program is made possible in part by funding from the Edmond J. Safra Foundation and the The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation.
The program was created to meet the unique needs for people with Parkinson’s because it is a complex disease that varies person to person and can includes motor, non-motor, and cognitive symptoms.
Common challenges senior care communities and home care agencies face are that:
- Many healthcare professionals and direct care employees feel they know about Parkinson's but:
- 15-minute online education session isn't enough.
- Have trouble with precise medication timing.
- There is a lack of external support for employees in taking care of people with Parkinson’s.
- Senior care communities and home care agencies can often have staff turnover and knowledge is lost.
The Community Partners program is:
- Inclusive: education for everyone on the team, especially direct care staff
- Sustainable: not a one-time in-service; ability to incorporate into staff onboarding/training
- Collaborative: access to Parkinson's Foundation resources and support, specifically National Program Directors
- Outcomes-focused: survey staff and clients and evaluate medication timing for those who take Parkinson’s medications.
For questions or more information on the program, please email CommunityPartners@parkinson.org.