Dr. Sarah Lidstone, director and research lead of the Integrated Movement Disorders Program.
Around this time of the year, as Toronto prepares for winter weather, the biannual Movement Disorders Speaker Series – an event for patients, their family members, caregivers and donors – would have taken place in-person at the BMO Education & Conference Centre at Toronto Western Hospital. However, due to the ongoing pandemic, it was streamed online so those invited could stay safe and attend from the comfort of their own homes. Due to the restrictions imposed on indoor events, a record-breaking 285 people tuned in to the Speaker Series, far surpassing last year’s event.
On Wednesday, September 30, 2020, Dr. Sarah Lidstone, neurologist within the Edmond J. Safra Program in Parkinson’s Disease and the Morton and Gloria Shulman Movement Disorders Clinic, presented at the first-ever virtual edition of the Speaker Series. She spoke about the launch of the new Integrated Movement Disorders Program (IMDP) – a collaboration between the Movement Disorders Clinic at Toronto Western Hospital and Toronto Rehabilitation Institute.
Open since July 2019, the IMDP seeks to develop new and innovative models of care for individuals with chronic neurological conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders. As director of the program, Dr. Lidstone spoke about how her team is using a patient-centred approach with a focus on the integration of mental health and physiotherapy. Together, they are working to redefine the rehabilitation experience when it comes to receiving multidisciplinary care and treatments.
Dr. Lidstone emphasized that it is critical to involve patients in discussions around care, and so the IMDP has a very unique component: a Patient Advisory Board. Consisting of 14 patients or caregivers drawn from the Movement Disorders Clinic, each member brings their own valuable perspectives of living with movement disorders, as well as their backgrounds and skill sets, to help inform Dr. Lidstone and her team as they co-design this model of care together.
After an informative talk, a moderated Q&A was held with Dr. Lidstone and Dr. Anthony Lang, director of the Movement Disorders Clinic. Attendees submitted their questions live via a virtual platform, which provided an opportunity for engagement and interesting discussions. To watch the full presentation, click here.
The next virtual Movement Disorders Speaker Series is scheduled for the spring of 2021. Please contact us to learn more.
This session of the Movement Disorders Speaker Series was made possible through the generosity of Fraser Berill.