Launch by Erik Scherder "The Conversation: Strolls through the Parkinsonian brain" with video message by Bas Bloem

In early January 2025, the Parkinson Café at the Noorddam Center in Amstelveen will host the launch of "The Conversation: Ommetjes through the Parkinson brain". This promises to be a special gathering. Erik Scherder, professor of neuropsychology and known from television, will take you on an interesting look into our brains. Bas Bloem, neurologist at Radboud MC, explains via video why this launch is important for all people with Parkinson's and their environment.

All visitors will receive a free conversation box, made possible by Zorg en Zekerheid. Sign up soon because full=full.

For whom.

"The Conversation: Detours Through the Parkinson's Brain" is for people with Parkinson(ism), their family, friends, neighbors and caregivers. There are special conversation cards you can use to talk together about Parkinson's challenges in thinking. This conversation can take place at home, at the care professional's office or at the Parkinson's Café. Six people can participate at a time.

Themes

The book "Strolls through the Parkinson's Brain" is the basis for the conversation cards. The cards have three themes: forgetting, concentrating and starting & stopping. A fourth theme, time benders, gives you another insight on using time. Two animated videos and instructions explain the detours.

Parkinson's Cafés

For Parkinson's Cafés, there is a presentation with a manual. People with Parkinson's then sit separately from their loved ones. In groups of 4, experiences are shared and questions are answered. The great thing is that everyone uses slightly different detours. You learn from each other how to get around the obstacles.

Free call cards by Zorg en Zekerheid

The conversation cards are provided free of charge and the videos can be played online. Distribution of the conversation cards is done through the Parkinson(ism) Association. The Parkinson(ism) Association will include the materials in the Parkinson(ism) Academy so that all Parkinson(ism) Cafés can make use of them.

Our goal

Our goal is to make more people with Parkinson(ism), their loved ones and caregivers familiar with the invisible problems in thinking. By applying ommetjes you reduce the obstacle. As a result, you arguably stay active for several years. You can participate more and longer in social activities. You feel better and make your own decisions about your life for longer.

All different

If the obstacles get worse you will start using other detours. We challenge you to experiment with this. You can't start with detours early enough. What works for one person may not work for another. Everyone has their own pallet of obstacles and matching detours.

Thinking deteriorates

Usually we know Parkinson(ism) by a blockage with walking or lack of facial mimicry. Just think of Prince Claus. That's just the tip of the iceberg. When the disease is diagnosed, 48% of people experience problems in thinking. They consider that the most worrisome complaint.

These include being easily distracted, poorly organized, having trouble finding the right words, taking less initiative, being sensitive to pressure, being lost of everything and that many things escape them.

Thoughtless thinking then falters and we no longer feel naturally happy. Fortunately, not everything is stored in one place in the brain. Thus, you can employ well-functioning parts of the brain by using detours or provoked movements. As a result, you suffer less.

Book "Strolls through the Parkinsonian brain"

How people with Parkinson(ism) cope with these detours was scientifically researched in the COPIED study. The results were put into words and pictures in the self-help book "Detours through the Parkinsonian Brain." The core of the book consists of the detour maps. However, the book has much more to offer.

It is typically one of those books that sits on the table and you pick it up regularly. The thinking from this book should be familiar to all people with Parkinson(ism), their loved ones and caregivers. To encourage this, "The Conversation: Detours through the Parkinsonian Brain" was created.

About Parkinson(ism)

There are 63,800 people with Parkinson(ism) disease in the Netherlands, and 3% more are diagnosed each year. This makes Parkinson(ism) the fastest growing brain disease. There is a multitude of discomfort in movement, thinking and emotion. Medications only suppress symptoms in movement.

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