Parkinson’s disease Hispanic community Bringing Information and Interventions to Connecticut’s Hispanic Communities

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Parkinson’s disease Hispanic community

Imagine being told you have Parkinson’s disease, a neurodegenerative disorder that makes you tremble, feel stiff, and have trouble moving. Then imagine that you don’t speak English very well and that you can’t get a lot of information and help that is specific to your culture and language. This is how things are for a lot of Hispanic people in Connecticut who have Parkinson’s disease.

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Parkinson’s disease Hispanic community:There is hope, though. A researcher at the Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Centre at UConn Health named Dr. Vanessa Colón-Semenza is working to help the Hispanic communities in Connecticut get information and help about Parkinson’s disease.

One of Colón-Semenza’s research projects is a clinical trial that looks at how well a remote intervention can get Hispanic people with PD to be more active. The intervention, which includes help from someone else with PD, is being given through mobile health technology and virtual meeting platforms in the trial. This method makes it possible to hire people all over the United States and its territories.

Parkinson’s disease Hispanic community: Colón-Semenza is also creating and testing educational materials and support programmes for Hispanic people with PD and their carers that are specific to their culture and language. She thinks this work is very important for making the lives of these people better.

“We need to make sure that everyone with Parkinson’s disease has access to the information and support they need, regardless of their language or culture,” said Colón-Semenza. “By developing and evaluating culturally and linguistically tailored interventions, we can help to improve the quality of life for Hispanic people with PD and their carers.”

Parkinson’s disease Hispanic community: Colón-Semenza’s work is especially important in Connecticut, where the number of Hispanic people is high and growing. The U.S. Census Bureau says that 17.1% of the state’s population was Hispanic in 2020. It was 13.7% in 2010.

The number of people with PD in Connecticut’s Hispanic community is likely to rise as the population ages. People over the age of 60 are most likely to get PD, which is a neurodegenerative disease.

Parkinson’s disease Hispanic community: Colón-Semenza’s research helps make sure that Hispanic people in Connecticut who have PD can get the help and information they need to live healthy, happy lives.

What you can do to help

Some things you can do to help support Dr. Colón-Semenza’s work are:

Help the Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Centre at UConn Health by giving money.
Join one of Dr. Colón-Semenza’s research studies as a volunteer.
Tell your family and friends about Dr. Colón-Semenza’s work.
There is hope for Hispanic people in Connecticut who have Parkinson’s disease if we all work together.