Patient Education for People with Parkinson's Disease and their Carers A Manual

This manual provides the information and materials needed to conduct an eight-session patient education programme for people with Parkinson's disease and their carers, complementing medical treatment. This programme was developed within an interdisciplinary European consortium, comprising research and clinical centres in Germany, Spain, Finland, Italy, The Netherlands, Estonia and the United Kingdom. In addition to dealing with the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease, many people also struggle with the psychological and social effects. In fact, people at every stage of the disease can be faced with problems such as depression, anxiety, stressful social interactions, and difficulties communicating, all of which can disrupt their lives. This programme draws upon basic psychological principles and presents specific strategies that people can use to manage these difficulties. The ultimate goal of the programme is to empower people with Parkinson's disease and their carers to improve their own quality of life. Although the programme is standardised, flexibility is built into the programme to facilitate its use in different cultures, and with different types of patient and carer groups. Patient Education for People with Parkinson's Disease and Their Carers: A Manaual is essential reading for all health care professionals and trained volunteers working with people with Parkinson's disease and their carers.

Dr Marcia Smith Pasqualini is a clinical and academic neuropsychologist, currently working as an associate professor at Avila University in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from Tulane University and her PhD from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Dr Smith Pasqualini’s primary area of research is the social neuroscience of emotion and facial expression. She was employed as a senior lecturer at the University of Portsmouth for nine years, and was the Principal Investigator for the United Kingdom for the EduPark project.

Dr Gwenda Simons is a social psychologist, currently working as a research associate in the Department of Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford. Dr Simons received her MA in social psychology from the University of Amsterdam, and her PhD from the University of Portsmouth. She has published research articles in the area of facial expression and emotion, with a particular interest in people with Parkinson’s disease. Dr Simons worked as a research associate at the University of Portsmouth for the EduPark project.