Legacy doctor helps to ensure Portland is 'Parkinson's Ready'

Sept. 1, 2016

Dr. Richard Rosenbaum 

In about three weeks, 4,000 delegates will descend on Portland for the 2016 World Parkinson Congress — and Dr. Richard Rosenbaum wants to make sure Portland is “Parkinson’s Ready.”

A neurologist who sees many patients with the disease, Rosenbaum has been holding “grand rounds” training sessions with the staff at Legacy Health to prepare them to better recognize and respond to any Parkinson’s patients who are taken to the ER during the Congress.

“We hope the number that have falls or complications is small,” Rosenbaum said. “This is a terrific opportunity to make the medical community aware.”

Parkinson’s Resources of Oregon is organizing the Parkinson’s Ready trainings not only for hospital staff, but also the Portland Police Department, TSA officials at Portland International Airport and downtown hotels.

The trainings and video webinars are designed to help foster understanding about the symptoms for those with Parkinson’s, which could include confusion, slurred speech or mobility problems and tips for dealing with certain situations. Some could be mistakenly judged to be drunk when they’re not, hampering their ability to get help if they should fall or need other medical help.

“People with Pakninson’s might present in a fashion where they seem disoriented because they’re slow or their balance is off,” said Holly Chaimov, executive director of Parkinson’s Resources of Oregon. “We don’t want anyone to make assumptions about someone’s ability, so we’re raising that awareness.”

“One of the things we have to work on with medical providers is when a person says, ‘I’ve got to take my medication at 3 o’clock, or I’ll have abdominal pain because it’s worn off,’ we want the medical providers and nursing staff to know how important precise timing is for Parkinson’s,” Rosenbaum said.

The four-day event will draw guest speakers from 60 countries. Participants will include patients, care givers, physicians and researchers. A third to half might be people who have Parkinson’s.

In Oregon, an estimated 25,000 people are living with the disease.

Parkinson’s Resources of Oregon, which has operated in Portland for 36 years, is a sponsor of the 4th triennial Congress, which runs from Sept. 20 to 23 at the Portland Convention Center.

http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/blog/health-care-inc/2016/09/legacy-doctor-helps-to-ensure-portland-is.html