Rowan County Parkinson’s Symposium planned for Oct. 8

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, October 1, 2019

Parkinson’s Advocacy of Rowan County, a support group for people with Parkinson’s disease, is coordinating the third annual Parkinson’s symposium to be held from 9 a.m. to noon Oct. 8 at First Presbyterian Church, 308 W. Fisher St.

Doors will open at 8 a.m. for check-in and visits with sponsors.

The theme of this year’s symposium is “Learn to Live Your Best Life With Parkinson’s.” Sponsors include businesses with resources to address the needs of people with Parkinson’s. A light breakfast, snacks and drinks will be provided.

There is no charge to attend the symposium, which is open to the public. Seating is limited; reserve a place by contacting TenderHearted Home Care at 704-612-4132 or RGray@TenderHeartedHomeCare.com.

The keynote speakers will be Dr. Laxman Bahroo, a movement specialist at Georgetown University, and Charles Manning, a registered nurse with Ashfield Healthcare. They will speak about Apokyn, a drug available for treatment of Parkinson’s symptoms.

Bahroo is an associate professor and director of the residency program in the department of neurology at Georgetown. He manages a clinic with interests in medical and surgical treatment.

He also specializes in the therapeutic role of botulinum toxin injections for dystonia, spasticity and sialorrhea.

Bahroo has lectured at regional, national and international conferences. as well as at hospitals about movement disorders and neurology. Bahroo participates in research and has published papers in various journals.

Bahroo attended Rutgers University for undergraduate studies and the University of Medicine and Dentistry for his master’s degree and medical education. He completed an internship at St. Luke’s Hospital in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and a neurology residency at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington. Subsequently, he completed a two-year fellowship in movement disorders at Georgetown.

Joe and Sarah Possenti, patient ambassadors for Apokyn (Mylan Laboratories), will be on hand to talk about using the drug.

The Parkinson’s support group meets from 1 to 2 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month at First Presbyterian Church, 308 W. Fisher St. For information, contact Renee Gray of TenderHearted Home Care at 704-612-4132 or RGray@TenderheartedHomeCare.com.