Welcome to our initiative for Allied Health Professionals.
Parkinson’s is a common progressive neurological condition which has the potential to affect all aspects of life. The mission of Parkinson’s WA (PWA) is to encourage, and where appropriate develop and implement programs for the treatment and care of people with Parkinson’s.
Our Parkinson’s Nurse Specialist Service (PNS) plays a leading role in the education of health professionals.
As we are all aware, the management and care for people living with Parkinson’s is a multifaceted challenge and for this reason, Parkinson’s WA plans to provide a point of contact, where all disciplines can access resources and informed responses to the queries you may bring to this site.
As we develop the site we hope to provide links to professional development opportunities which may be available online in addition to face to face opportunities closer to home.
Overview
- The PNS service covers both the Perth metropolitan area and the South West Region
- The PNS service has some flexibility for regional visits in collaboration with existing health professionals
- The PNS service is funded by the Department of Health WA, charitable trusts and PWA
- The PNS service is community based, providing home and/or aged care facility visits
- There is no charge for the person with Parkinson’s
- Educational sessions for health professionals can be organised
- The PNS service operates Monday-Friday during business hours. It is not to be considered an emergency service
Referral to the PNS service
The only criteria for referral to the service is a medical diagnosis of Parkinson’s or related conditions, for example, Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) or Cortico Basal Degeneration.
An open referral system is in place. This includes a general practitioner, treating medical specialist, health professional or self-referral.
Referrals to the PNS may be made in by completing the Health Professional Referral Form (PDF fillable form), telephone or fax.
Download Health Professional Referral Form
Membership of PWA is not compulsory to access the service.
Nursing Interventions
- Initial nursing assessment
- Ongoing monitoring
- Review of environment
- Education of newly diagnosed person with Parkinson’s
- Education and support for family members
- Nursing management of symptoms
- Identification and nursing management of medication side effects
- Monitoring response to medications
- Monitoring blood pressure
- Advocacy role
- Assess for NDIS in relevant age group and location
Collaboration
Following the visit, the PNS will provide a comprehensive nursing report focusing on Parkinson’s related issues to the referring health professional, GP and the treating medical specialist. In residential care facilities a short interim report is entered in the resident’s notes.
Follow up visits are made on an as needed basis which may vary in frequency.
If the person with Parkinson’s is living in a care facility and is unable to attend a specialist or clinic setting, the PNS may visit the care facility and liaise with the treating specialist. This is dependent on the agreement of the treating specialist.
Further Useful Resources
Visit our Publications & Resources Page
Visit our Education for Health Professionals Page
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Upcoming Events
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Australasian Neuroscience Nurses' Association (ANNA) 2023 Conference
9-10 November SAVE THE DATE
This year ANNA brings you a conference covering all aspects of neuroscience nursing, with two options. Since the success of last year’s hybrid conference in Melbourne, ANNA will continue with this format online and in-person and this year and will be joining together in Fremantle, WA at the Esplanade Hotel by Rydges.
If you would like to present at the conference, whether it is your first time or you are an experienced presenter, ANNA would love to hear from you. If you require some support with presenting, ANNA have mentors on hand to help you. Presentations can be an in-person feature with 15mins to present and 5mins for questions, or you can develop a poster presentation and present this for 5 minutes.
ANNA would love to see you there in-person, but understand you may want to join online - so they have both options available. So, save the date and watch this space for more information at this year’s annual ANNA conference.
Find out more here