Enlist the Best Experts in the Midwest to Help You Battle Parkinson's Disease
At first, the symptoms are so minor you barely notice:
Smaller steps replace wide strides.
Your hand shakes ever so slightly as it holds your favorite coffee mug.
It takes a few extra seconds to button your shirt, or rise from a chair, as it seems you are increasingly less nimble or able to do everyday tasks.
These are signs you may have a muscular disorder or Parkinson's disease.
The good news is, there's no need to travel far for care.
Here is How We Work Restrict Parkinson's to a Footnote in People's Lives:
Specialized Clinic for Treating People with Advanced Parkinson's Disease
The first symptoms of Parkinson's disease are changes in your ability to move, but Parkinson's also creates many other changes.
Over time, it can affect not only your movement and walking, but also speech, vision, swallowing, blood pressure, sleep, mood, and many other areas as well.
People with advanced Parkinson's can wind up needing to receive care from many different kinds of doctors. It can be very challenging for them to schedule many appointments, travel to many locations, and explain their needs to caregivers who don't work together and who may not specialize in the treatment of Parkinson's.
To respond to this need, in 2015, we launched the Nebraska Medicine Comprehensive Multidisciplinary Parkinson's Disease Clinic.
The goal of our clinic - the only one of its type in Nebraska and one of only a few in the Midwest - is to provide more integrated care for patients with advanced Parkinson's disease.
We work with one another and with your existing doctors to create the ideal treatment plan.
Efficient, Convenient and Thorough Evaluation from Dedicated Specialists
We launched the Comprehensive Multidisciplinary Parkinson's Disease Clinic to reduce the need to schedule multiple appointments in various hospitals and clinics.
Our clinic includes a team of the specialists that advanced Parkinson's patients most commonly need to work with.
Our specialists meet with patients during a single office visit. This allows our multidisciplinary team to better serve you and work together to collectively discuss your case and prepare a unified treatment plan.
We encourage our patients to bring their questions and be ready to discuss their medical conditions with our entire team, which includes neurologists, a neurosurgeon, occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech therapists, dieticians and nutritionists, social workers, nurse case managers, nurse practitioners and physician assistants.
Our specialists are all experienced in the treatment of Parkinson's disease, and many have worked together for more than 10 years. We are all ready to work with you to provide care, coaching, and guidance.
Easy Referrals for More Extended Care
Because Parkinson's patients can have so many different symptoms, our clinic can't include every specialist that a Parkinson's patient might need, but they are all available here at Nebraska Medicine.
We can refer you to the right specialists to help with conditions like anxiety, or vision problems, or dental problems, or many others.
With our advanced electronic medical record system, other care providers at Nebraska Medicine who are treating you can review your medical records to understand your team's recommendations and your specific treatment needs.
They can also easily reach us to discuss your care and coordinate the best treatment plan going forward. With your permission, we will also work with your existing doctors and caregivers to be sure that you get the best care.
Patient and Caregiver Connections
We want our patients to be knowledgeable and supported, so we hold educational special events to help them better understand how Parkinson's works. We also connect patients to local Parkinson's disease support groups and other resources that can help improve their quality of life.
Relationships with a Network of Doctors
We believe in sharing information, so, we work with neurologists and primary care doctors who are caring for Parkinson's patients throughout the Midwest. We are tuned in to the latest news and information, meaning we're never out of the loop when it comes to new and innovative procedures or treatments.
Access and Knowledge of New Drugs, Devices, and Clinical Trials
At any given time, our team is involved in research studies related to Parkinson's and movement disorders that are going on across the country. We encourage patients to participate when they can, as we are among the first to learn about and use new drugs and clinical trials that may be applicable to your health. We are also the only site in Nebraska to use the Personal Kinetigraph (PKG) to assess our patients.
We Educate Other Doctors Desiring to Learn the Most Advanced Procedures
Our team of neurologists regularly participates in major Parkinson's events around the world.
Our doctors regularly present at conferences in Europe, Asia and multiple locations in the United States. For example, at the 2016 American Academy of Neurology national meeting, we taught the latest techniques for administering a treatment that relaxes rigid or spastic muscles, which often impact Parkinson's patients.
Also, we regularly provide educational presentations to medical experts in a variety of related fields, sharing the latest treatment news and advice.
Additionally, for years, we have also held an annual Parkinson's disease symposium for medical professionals in the Omaha area, and plan to expand our regional connections in the future using new technology.