Parkinson’s Awareness Month: Veterans Health Administration PD Video Series

“My motto was always to keep swinging. Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing to do was keep swinging.” Hank Aaron

“Nothing worth having comes easy.” Theodore Roosevelt

Introduction: Several years ago, the Veterans Health Administration produced videos to educate/inform our veterans about Parkinson’s disease.   For more information, read about the VA Core Values and Mission Statement (click here); it is an admirable sentiment.

As we are living longer, so too are our veterans. Some service-related-experiences may have predisposed some of them to develop Parkinson’s.  All of these videos are available on YouTube.  However, since this is Parkinson’s awareness month, putting them all together might benefit others to better understand Parkinson’s.   I definitely learned something from watching these videos, they were all outstanding.

Each individual video features a veteran (frequently their care-partner too) who agreed to be videotaped (having done this type of interview myself, it is not an easy experience); I admire their courage to participate and to help educate all of us. Furthermore, the VA clinical and support staff were passionate and compassionate about their roles in dealing with our veterans with Parkinson’s.

“Losing the possibility of something is the exact same thing as losing hope and without hope nothing can survive.” Mark Z. Danielewski

Veterans Health Administration – My Parkinson’s Story:
My Parkinson’s Story: Early Parkinson’s Disease [click here for video]

My Parkinson’s Story: Thinking and Memory Problems with Parkinson Disease [click here for video]

My Parkinson’s Story: Medications [click here for video] 

My Parkinson’s Story: Dyskinesias [click here for video] 

My Parkinson’s Story: Atypical [click here for video] 

My Parkinson’s Story: Driving [click here for video]

My Parkinson’s Story: Sleep Problems and Parkinson’s Disease [click here for video] 

My Parkinson’s Story: Genetics [click here for video] 

My Parkinson’s Story: Exercise [click here for video] 

My Parkinson’s Story: Environmental Exposure [click here for video]

My Parkinson’s Story: The Impact of Depression in Parkinson’s Disease [click here for video] 

My Parkinson’s Story: Impact of Falls and Parkinson’s Disease [click here for video]

My Parkinson’s Story: The Caregiver [click here for video] 

My Parkinson’s Story: Deep Brain Stimulation and Parkinson Disease [click here for video]

My Parkinson’s Story: Hospitalization [click here for video] 

My Parkinson’s Story: Speech and Swallowing [click here for video] 

My Parkinson’s Story: Advanced Parkinsons [click here for video]

“Not I, nor anyone else can travel that road for you. You must travel it by yourself. It is not far. It is within reach. Perhaps you have been on it since you were born, and did not know. Perhaps it is everywhere – on water and land.” Walt Whitman

“We can’t equate spending on veterans with spending on defense. Our strength is not just in the size of our defense budget, but in the size of our hearts, in the size of our gratitude for their sacrifice. And that’s not just measured in words or gestures.” Jennifer Granholm

Cover Photo Credit: http://wallpapersafari.com/w/Fy0h6Q/