Episode

The Role of Caregivers in Parkinson's Dementia

Podcast
Substantial Matters: Life & Science of Parkinson's
Published
Mar 25, 2025
Duration seconds
1875
Processing state
not_requested
Canonical source
https://www.parkinson.org/resources-support/online-education/podcast
Audio
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/parkinson/177_-_Fleisher__Pensyl_-_Role_of_Caregivers_in_PD_Dementia.mp3?dest-id=506623
JSON
/v1/public/podcasts/substantial-matters-life-science-of-parkinson-s-7073791/episodes/the-role-of-caregivers-in-parkinson-s-dementia
Markdown
/podcast/substantial-matters-life-science-of-parkinson-s-7073791/the-role-of-caregivers-in-parkinson-s-dementia.md

Actions

  • POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/substantial-matters-life-science-of-parkinson-s-7073791/episodes/the-role-of-caregivers-in-parkinson-s-dementia/transcription-requests
    Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
  • GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/substantial-matters-life-science-of-parkinson-s-7073791/the-role-of-caregivers-in-parkinson-s-dementia.md
    Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

Summary

Thinking and memory changes, also known as cognitive changes, may become more noticeable as Parkinson's disease (PD) progresses. If these symptoms begin to interfere with everyday tasks, it may be a sign of dementia. Understanding the signs of dementia in Parkinson's, along with its different names and variations, is essential for tailoring treatment options to your specific symptoms. The early signs of dementia may be hard to notice at first. Often, it is the care partner or family member who witnesses the gradual decline in thinking abilities. Care partners play a crucial role in providing the best quality of life and support for their loved ones with Parkinson's. In this episode, Jori Fleisher, MD, MSCE and Claire Pensyl talk about Parkinson's dementia. Dr. Fleisher is a movement disorders neurologist and co-director of the Parkinson's Foundation Center of Excellence at Rush University in Chicago, where her research focuses on designing and implementing novel models of care and support for people living with neurodegenerative disorders. She is the Principal Investigator of the PERSEVERE trial, an entirely virtual, national trial to educate and empower care partners whose loved ones have Parkinson's or Lewy Body Dementia (LBD). Claire, on the other hand, was the care partner for her husband, Ira, who had PD and LBD. She shares her experience witnessing Ira's cognitive challenges as they became more apparent and describes how she became motivated to learn more about the signs of dementia as the disease progressed. Follow and rate us on your favorite podcast platform to be notified when there's a new episode! Let us know what other topics you would like us to cover by visiting parkinson.org/feedback .