Working Through Parkinson's Disease

On our second episode, we talk about a really tricky subject: employment and Parkinson's disease. What are the unique challenges people with PD face when it comes to employment, thinking about asking for an accommodation, or even disclosing their health condition at work?

 
We talk with Miriam Rafferty, PT, DPT, PhD, a scientist in the Center for Rehabilitation Outcomes Research and Assistant Professor of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine about Parkinson's Works, the support group she created for people with Parkinson's disease who want to talk about employment. We also hear from Lynn, a long-time participant in the support group, who discusses her struggles with managing symptoms at work while coping with an ever-increasing workload as a senior project manager. She talks about interacting with colleagues who (mostly) don't know her diagnosis and at the end of the podcast, Lynn wonders about her future at work as she goes on short-term disability.

If you are interested in learning more about Parkinson's Works, contact Paulo Aco at paco⁠@sralab.org or (312) 238-7275⁠. Parkinson’s Works meetings are held on a bi-weekly basis from 4:40-5:40pm CST and are moderated by a vocational rehabilitation counselor.

Parkinson's Works is supported by NIDILRR and by a Community Grant from the Parkinson's Foundation.

For more about this episode, and to read the transcript, click here.