At English Rose, we are proud to be a partner in the Struthers Parkinson’s Care Network. As we strive to deliver the highest quality of care for each of our residents, we understand the importance of educating our entire staff on how to best serve people with Parkinson’s disease and atypical parkinsonism. Through our partnership, we ensure that our team members receive award-winning training and education from the experts at Struthers.
Why we train our staff on Parkinson’s disease and atypical parkinsonism
Although a large percentage of our residents have dementia, we have also cared for several residents with Parkinson’s disease and atypical parkinsonism. Parkinson’s disease, which is the second most common neurodegenerative disease, is a brain disorder that leads to shaking, stiffness and difficulty with walking, balance, and coordination. Atypical parkinsonism includes rarer conditions such as multiple system atrophy, progressive supranuclear palsy, and Lewy body dementia that share some symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
Parkinson’s and atypical parkinsonism affect everyone differently, as symptoms can vary from person to person, progress at different speeds, and even change from hour to hour and minute to minute. The complexity and nonuniformity of these diseases therefore necessitate a staff that is knowledgeable about the disease. Without a thorough understanding, staff may misinterpret an individual’s symptom inconsistencies as being stubborn, angry or confused, and therefore not provide specialized and tailored treatment.
Understanding the Struthers Parkinson’s Care Network
With over 40 years of experience, Park Nicollet Struthers Parkinson’s Center is a recognized leader in Parkinson’s care, education, and support, as well as a National Parkinson Foundation Center of Excellence. In 2012, Struthers launched the Struthers Parkinson’s Care Network in response to a growing need to provide specialized training in Parkinson’s to more health professionals to improve the quality care for individuals living with this disease. The Care Network is comprised of senior residential communities and home care agencies who have made a commitment to improve care and provide support to people living with Parkinson’s and their families.
What is the nationally recognized TULIPS program?
As a member of the Care Network, English Rose receives ongoing staff training in the nationally recognized TULIPS program, developed by the Struthers Parkinson’s Center, and taught by experts in the field. The goal of the training is “to increase awareness, maximize safety and improve quality of life for people with Parkinson’s using the acronym TULIPS to describe what people with Parkinson’s need.” TULIPS stands for:
- Time
- Understanding
- Quality of life
- Increased awareness
- Pills on time
- Support
The Struthers training approach requires organizations to designate employees in leadership roles as “site champions.” Site champions receive specialized training to become on-site Parkinson’s disease trainers and resources for their organization’s entire staff. In addition to site champions, all on-site staff receive two hours of award-winning online curriculum training which focuses on understanding Parkinson’s, the TULIPS approach, assisting movement, and providing care and assistance. Network members also have access to professional conferences and supplemental webinars.
How we deliver the highest quality of care to our residents
Through our partnership with the Struthers Parkinson’s Care Network, we have been able to train our staff on how best to care for our residents who live with Parkinson’s disease. To date, we have eight employees trained as Struthers site champions, including two senior management leaders, four team coordinators who supervisor each of our homes, and one member of our home health care team. In addition, 100% of our caregivers have received the online training before they start working with our residents.
Due to the unique Struthers training model, we now have eight in-house “experts” on Parkinson’s who can provide ongoing support and guidance to all our caregivers who work with these residents. “By participating in this invaluable training, our staff has learned to understand the complexity of Parkinson’s and the many changing ways it presents. As a care team we can work together to identify concerns early and respond proactively, which allows us to provide a highly personalized approach to caring for each person living with this disease,” said Zach Parlier, Director of Team Member Advancement.
For more information on the Struthers Parkinson’s Care Network or the Struthers Parkinson’s Center:
https://www.strutherspn.com/front-page
https://www.healthpartners.com/care/specialty-centers/struthers-parkinsons-center/
Additional sources:
https://www.michaeljfox.org/news/atypical-parkinsonism
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/parkinsons-disease