Parkinson Partners

For Patients and Families:

It takes more than medicine to stop Parkinson Disease from consuming the lives of patients and caregivers. For the first time, people living with Parkinson’s on the Suncoast have the help they need thanks to our education and service programs and to physicians and healthcare professionals who embrace the most up to date treatments and complementary therapies available. You can receive professional advice and qualified referrals, free for the asking, about living with the disease from diagnosis through end-of-life by asking your doctor to enroll you in NCF “Parkinson Partners.” We train or hand select the professionals we work with to ensure quality care that addresses the specific physical and emotional needs of people with PD. To help you learn about what’s available, Neuro Challenge Foundation employs staff and volunteer care advisors and relies on the largest network of trained professionals on the Suncoast to provide patients and families with superior care and service. Get the advice you need by visiting us at Sarasota Memorial’s Institute for Advanced Medicine. To make an appointment, ask your doctor for an enrollment form, then call us at (941) 623-6413. We are happy to fax your doctor an enrollment form if necessary.

For Professionals:

About 5,000 people in our local area have Parkinson disease. Another 5-10,000 people are directly affected as professional or family caregivers. Parkinson Partners are independent enterprises that provide quality care and demonstrate an understanding of the unique needs of people with Parkinson Disease and their families. To educate patients and caregivers about services available through Parkinson Partners and other local resources, Neuro Challenge Foundation supports a free outreach program that provides much needed one-on-one direction to patients at any stage of the disease. To be included in our network, healthcare professionals must embrace the most up to date medical treatments and therapies and work as a patient-centered team. We offer live and online training and continuing educational credits to qualified professionals. For more information, call us at (941) 926-6413.

What Patients Can Expect:

A physician begins the “road map” process by enrolling the patient and/or caregiver in NCF’s Parkinson Partners Program. An NCF advisor then matches the patient’s and caregiver’s needs with quality resource providers in the community.

Your doctor will know what medical or surgical treatments are best for you. In many instances, your doctor may recommend physical, occupational and speech therapies, exercise and/or attendance at group education classes, seminars and symposia, integrative medicine, or other free, discounted or fee-only services available in the community.

Our job is to spend one-on-one time with you so that you understand how the various facets of your doctor’s plan can help to improve your quality of life. If the doctor has not made specific recommendations about where you should go to receive the services he or she recommends, your NCF advisor can help you determine what’s best for you. You can meet with one of our advisors in their offices at Sarasota Memorial’s Institute for Advanced Medicine, 5880 Rand Blvd, Sarasota, FL 34238 by appointment. There is no charge for this service.