The North of Scotland Parkinson’s Research Podcast Series

Parkinson’s Beats at the World Parkinson’s Congress in Barcelona

Listen in to hear Helga Macfarlane chat to Jo Holland and Alison Williams, who  have been involved with the Parkinson’s Beats programme. 
As Julie Jones explains, it is widely accepted that exercise is beneficial for people living with Parkinson’s, but finding a form of exercise that you enjoy and can do regularly can be challenging.  Parkinson’s Beats is a form of cardio drumming which has been adapted to meet the needs of people with Parkinson’s. 
Jo Holland attended a locally run cardio drumming class and fell in love with this form of exercise.  Since then, she has been successful at securing funding from Parkinson’s UK and the National lottery to set up the delivery of Parkinson’s Beats, and now has  classes twice a week, either face to face or online.  The online class has people attending from all over Scotland, the wider UK, and overseas. 
Parkinson’s Beats can be done sitting or standing, and incorporates aerobic exercise, large amplitude movements, auditory cueing as well as cognitive or thinking challenge. Anecdotally, attendees reported physical and psychological and emotional benefits. Jo has since teamed up with other people with Parkinson’s and researchers to evaluate the impact of Parkinson’s Beats among those who participate regularly in the programme.  The evaluation was funded by a small grant from Parkinson’s UK, and the recent findings were presented at the World Parkinson’s Congress by Jo Holland and Julie Jones. 
If you would like to know more about Parkinson’s Beats, as a result of listening to this podcast, or would like to join a class please email Jo jhollandparkinsons@gmail.com on facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093468440984
 

Breaking down terminology with Professor Gareth Jones

In this episode of the North of Scotland Parkinson’s Research Interest Group podcast, Julie joins Professor Gareth Jones who is epidemiologist based at the University of Aberdeen.  In this pod Julie and Gareth demystify key research terminology such as what is a randomised controlled study? Why sample size is important in research?  What is peer review?  What involved in the ethics process.  So, a research 101 on key research terminology to help people make more sense of research jargon. Enjoy. 
The North of Scotland Parkinsons research interest groups:  https://www.nosprig.org/
Research groups nationally:  https://www.parkinsons.org.uk/research/local-parkinsons-research-interest-groups
Parkinson’s UK Scotland:  https://www.parkinsons.org.uk/about-us/parkinsons-uk-scotland
 

James Jopling - Parkinson’s UK, Scotland Director

Julie Jones meets James Jopling, Parkinsons UK’s Scotland Director. James joined the charity a year ago in the wake of the Covid pandemic and just as the cost of living crisis began to bite. In this episode he talks about the challenges facing the charity, the unique way Parkinson’s U.K. encourage public involvement in research and he takes a look forward to the future.  
The North of Scotland Parkinsons research interest groups:  https://www.nosprig.org/
Research groups nationally:  https://www.parkinsons.org.uk/research/local-parkinsons-research-interest-groups
Parkinson’s UK Scotland:  https://www.parkinsons.org.uk/about-us/parkinsons-uk-scotland
 

Julie Jones and Helga Macfarlane

Julie Jones is a Physiotherapist & Senior Lecturer at the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen. She is passionate about improving services for people with Parkinson's & the benefit of exercise.
Helga Macfarlane was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2017 aged 52, and devotes much of her time to helping raise awareness of the disease and how it impacts the lives of people with PD.
In this podcast Julie shares her perspective on Parkinson's research.  
The North of Scotland Parkinsons research interest groups:  https://www.nosprig.org/
Research groups nationally:  https://www.parkinsons.org.uk/research/local-parkinsons-research-interest-groups
Parkinson’s UK Scotland:  https://www.parkinsons.org.uk/about-us/parkinsons-uk-scotland
 

Dr Carl Counsell

Consultant Neurologist Carl Counsell divides his time between clinical practice and research at Aberdeen University.  Dr Counsell leads the University’s Chronic Disease Research group, which aims to improve health through the clinical research of chronic diseases and health care, supporting evidenced based practice and policy.  In this podcast Carl shares his thoughts on what the future research priorities are plus what he perceives are the key research priorities for Parkinson's.
The North of Scotland Parkinsons research interest groups:  https://www.nosprig.org/
Research groups nationally:  https://www.parkinsons.org.uk/research/local-parkinsons-research-interest-groups
Parkinson’s UK Scotland:  https://www.parkinsons.org.uk/about-us/parkinsons-uk-scotland
 

Welcome to the North of Scotland Parkinson’s Research Podcast

Welcome to the NoSPRIG podcasts!
The aim of our podcast series is to focus on Parkinson’s research from a Scottish perspective and highlight some of the work being done here to find out more about the mechanisms of this complex disease and ways of making life better for those living with it.  
We hope you enjoy listening. Please keep checking back for new episodes!
The North of Scotland Parkinsons research interest groups:  https://www.nosprig.org/
Research groups nationally:  https://www.parkinsons.org.uk/research/local-parkinsons-research-interest-groups
Parkinson’s UK Scotland:  https://www.parkinsons.org.uk/about-us/parkinsons-uk-scotland