Parkinson’s Disease and Parkinsonisms

Written By Logan Myers

The goal of this resource page is to give people some direction after having being diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. We understand that there is a lot to navigate, so we want to help you find the resources you need. This list compiles some of the Parkinson’s specific care that is available in Lancaster County and the surrounding area. This is not an all encompassing list (because we are not perfect and new things happen every day); however, if you provide Parkinson’s specialized care and would like to be listed here, please email neuroneighborhood@gmail.com. We will provide a short questionnaire to help us to better understand your background in stroke care. 

Your circle of care should be a group of providers, family, friends, caregivers, and YOU! Each person is different. You may not need each member listed below in your own circle of care, but we wanted to provide education on potential members of your circle who may be helpful to you. 

This is not intended to be medical advice. This is strictly providing neuro specific resources with a focus on those resources in the Lancaster County area. Please consult with your physician regarding any medical needs. 

  • Caregivers such as family or friends are an important support system for people after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. It may be hard to ask for help, but there are people who want to help you navigate this new chapter in your life.

    Caregivers can be one of your biggest advocates, but it is also important for caregivers to take care of themselves:

    • Join caregiver support groups

    • Get respite care when you need it

  • Deep Brain Stimulation is a procedure that is used to help treat tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia, dyskinesia, akinesia. Discuss this option with your neurologist.

    Neurologists:

    • Penn State Health, Hershey - Dr. Sol De Jesus

    • Penn Medicine, Philadelphia - Dr. Iahn Cajigas Gonzalez

      • He does come to Lancaster for consultations

    • Johns Hopkins, Baltimore - Dr. Kelly Mills

    Primary DBS companies around Lancaster

  • Exercise is important for us all, but especially for someone with Parkinson’s Disease. Finding ways to be active is very important and can be a challenge. It is important to find something that you enjoy! If you need guidance on returning to exercise and physical activity in general you can use the following resources to help guide you.

    Exercise has been shown to slow the progression of Parkinson’s, reduce motor symptoms (rigidity, stiffness, slowness, posture, tremors) and non motor symptoms.

    Parkinson’s Specific Classes:

    • Support Groups: 

      • Red Rose Parkinson’s Support Group and Lecture Series

        • For both persons with Parkinson’s and family/caregivers

      • Red Rose Young Onset Parkinson’s Support Group

      • The following retirement communities offer support groups for their residents: 

        • Woodcrest Villa

        • Willow Valley

        • Garden Spot Village

        • Brethren Village

    • Recreation

      • Lancaster Recumbent Biking

        • Two Top Mountain

          • Adaptive Sports Program out of Mercersburg, PA (near Chambersburg)

            • Winter Sports: 

              • Skiing

              • Snowboarding

            • Summer Sports: 

              • Fishing

              • Kayaking

              • Cycling

              • Waterskiing

        • Lancaster Office of Aging: 

          • Senior Centers

            • Throughout Lancaster County

            • Provides activities throughout the day for seniors

              • Bingo, yoga, lunch

  • Massage therapy can assist with rigidity, pain, tightness, and fatigue.

    • Focused Care Therapeutic Massage

      • Jean Kark 

        • Master Myoskeletal Alignment Therapist

        • Neuromuscular Cupping

        • Medical Massage

    • Healing Arts

      • Alicia Smith

        • Intuitive Integrative Energy Healing

        • Craniosacral Fascial Therapy (CFT)

        • CFT/Massage Combination

  • Music therapy can help individuals with Parkinson’s Disease improve symptoms such as freezing, gait and speech, postural control, and cognition.

  • There is a type of neurologist that specializes in Parkinson’s Disease called a Movement Disorder Specialist (they also specialize in other types of movement disorders such as ataxia). When able, it is beneficial to work with a Movement Disorder Specialist.

    • Movement Disorder Specialists:

      • Penn Medicine - Lancaster

        • Dr. Gabriel Hou

      • Penn State Health

        • Dr. Sol De Jesus

      • Johns Hopkins

        • Dr. Pantelyat

          • Further specializes in Atypical Parkinson’s

        • Dr. Kelly Mills

    • Neurologists:

      • Argires Marotti

        • Dr. Jarod John

      • Penn Medicine -Lancaster Neuroscience Institute

      • Penn State Health - Hershey Neuroscience Institute

      • Wellspan Neurology- Ephrata

    • A neuro ophthalmologist is also different from your normal eye doctor and different from a neuro optometrist. They are able to help identify if some vision changes are connected to your brain rather than a change in your actual eye. This can be helpful to determine and treat vision changes after having a stroke.

      These are some locations that have neuro ophthalmologists:

      • Tiedeken MD Eye Care

        • Dr. Tiedeken

      • LG Health Physicians Neurology, Lancaster

        • Dr. Wu-Chen

      • Penn State Health Eye Center, Hershey

        • Dr. Cantore

      • Eye Consultants of Pennsylvania, Wyomissing/Lebanon

  • Neuro Optometrists are different than your regular eye doctor. They are able to perform much more thorough testing and evaluation of vision problems that can occur after having a stroke. They can help assess changes like visual field cuts or double vision. Most also can either provide vision therapy or work closely with your occupational therapist to provide vision therapy.

    These are two locations that offer neuro optometry:

    • Not local, but has good online resources and is Parkinson’s specific

    • Not Parkinson’s specific, but local

      • Penn Medicine LG Health, Suburban Pavilion

  • Occupational therapy can help you get back to all your daily activities and hobbies (they don’t just help people return to work!). Your occupational therapist can help you with daily activities including bathing, dressing, or cooking, returning to recreational activities/hobbies, cognition, vision, and adaptive equipment.

    When deciding which occupational therapist to see, we recommend looking for someone who specializes in working with people with Parkinson’s, especially if they have either the PWR! Certification or LSVT BIG certification.

    • HARTZ Physical Therapy

      • Neuro, but no known PD specific certification

    • Penn Medicine

      • LGH Neuroscience Institute Therapy

      • Willow Street

    • Wellspan Brossman Health Center, Ephrata

      • Outpatient occupational therapy

      • LSVT BIG Certification

  • Pharmacists know the most about your medications.

    Pharmacists can help with your medication access. Often times, they have more knowledge about working with insurance and coupons available to make your medication more affordable.

    They best understand side effect management and, at times, can give tips on how to minimize side effects.

    Pharmacists can also give recommendations on tools and strategies to improve your adherence to taking medications.

  • Physical Therapy can be very beneficial for people with Parkinson’s Disease. They can help you address challenges related to rigidity, slow movements, incoordination, balance, self-awareness, turning, pain, and posture.

    When looking for a physical therapist, you should look for someone who is a Neurological Clinical Specialist (NCS), PWR! Certified Therapist (Parkinson’s Wellness Recovery), or LSVT BIG Certified.

    Facilities in the area that specialize in Parkinson’s Care:

    • HARTZ Physical Therapy

      • Outpatient physical therapy

      • PWR! and LSVT BIG

    • Penn Medicine LGH Neuroscience Institute Physical Therapy and Rehab Services

      • Outpatient physical therapy

    • Wellspan Brossman Health Center, Ephrata

      • Outpatient physical therapy

    • Rivera Physical Therapy

      • Outpatient physical therapy

      • PWR! Certified

    • Fox Rehab

      • Outpatient physical therapy, but they come to your home

    • Willow Valley

      • Available to those living at Willow Valley

    • Landis Homes

      • Available to those living at Landis Homes

  • A Primary Care Physician (PCP) is an important access point for general management of your health concerns.

    We recommend ensuring that your PCP is working with your other physicians and providers and at times your PCP office may have a social work team to help you navigate the healthcare system.

  • Here are some general tips and information for helping to navigate your diagnosis:

  • Respite or day programs can be very helpful for you after having your stroke to get out of the house and participating in the community and hobbies that you enjoy. They can also be helpful if you need assistance for activities throughout the day as these programs usually have skilled practitioners to assist you.

  • As part of the Penn Medicine LGH Family Medicine, you can speak to your primary care doctor to join their Comprehensive Care Team.

  • Speech therapy (or speech language pathology) can help with more than just speech! Some of the things your speech therapist can help you with includes cognition, swallowing, speech, problem solving, memory, and communication.

    When choosing a speech therapist, you should be looking for someone with certifications in either LSVT LOUD or SPEAK OUT. These are both speech programs specifically for Parkinson’s Disease.

    Some resources in our area:

    • Penn Medicine LGH

      • Neuroscience Institute Physical Therapy and Rehab Services

        • Outpatient (SPEAK OUT)

      • Willow Lakes

        • Outpatient (SPEAK OUT)

    • Penn State Health - Lime Spring

      • Outpatient (LSVT LOUD)

    • Lebanon Valley College

      • SPEAK OUT and LOUD CROWD program

      • Fall, spring, summer semesters at LVC

      • Cost is FREE and will help students develop a passion for working with people with Parkinson’s

    • Online: 

Logan Myers
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Stroke (CVA)