Improving the Health of Spanish Speaking Patients with Parkinson’s: A New Model of Care

IMPROVING THE HEALTH OF SPANISH SPEAKING PATIENTS WITH PARKINSON’S: A NEW MODEL OF CARE

Undertaken by the Chase Family Movement Disorders Center (CFMDC), part of the Ayer Neuroscience Institute of Hartford HealthCare (HHC), this initiative centers around quality care for Hispanic communities in Connecticut. Goals include acquiring an accurate understanding of health disparities in the Hispanic patient population (with the goal of reducing them); improving access to subspecialized clinical care and resources, including opportunities for wellness programs and exercise; improving people with Parkinson’s health literacy about the condition; and establishing connections with local community programs and groups that serve this population.

“The scope of this project extends across much of Connecticut in terms of direct patient services but should also create resources that could be used nationally,” the proposal says. “In terms of direct patient care, we hope to provide services to those patients who have not had access to a subspecialty clinic and to better understand their specific challenges. We will also provide our Spanish-speaking patients with targeted, culturally appropriate educational material to help them learn how to manage the myriad aspects of Parkinson’s, including exercise, stress management, medication adherence, managing freezing episodes, as well as more difficult topics such as palliative care.”