World Parkinson’s Day
World Parkinson’s Day 2019: I Ain’t Drunk, I’m Just Thinkin’
The late great master of the telecaster, Albert Collins, was well known for his rendition of “I Ain't Drunk, I’m Just Drinkin'”. But with Parkinson’s, the song could be reworked as “I Ain't Drunk, I’m Just Thinkin'”, as just about every media outlet in the UK featured an article about people with PD being misjudged as being drunk. Today is World Parkinson’s Day, an arbitrary day (Dr. James Parkinson's birthday) on which various organizations try to draw public awareness to issues surrounding Parkinson’s Disease. And it is interesting to note the themes coming from different parts of the world. Globally, ...
Possible New World Parkinson’s Day Tradition? Giving PD the BiRD
This intriguing new device could inspire a new World Parkinson’s Day tradition. In addition to helping diagnose Parkinson’s, the BiRD (Bionics Institute Rigidity Device) offers a therapeutic benefit to patients by bionically assisting them in defiantly raising their middle finger at Parkinson’s Disease. Researchers from Bionics Institute in Melbourne Australia have developed a small, palm-worn device to help diagnose Parkinson’s disease—a condition which is otherwise difficult to identify. The BiRD attaches to the patient's hand via Velcro straps and employs a motor to repeatedly bend the patient’s middle finger for 30 seconds. Integrated sensors measure the force required to bend ...