Indu Subramanian, MD

“I think it’s quite important to care about what patients care about and be more patient-centered.”

, September 12–16, 2020, data from a survey study of more than 1700 patients with idiopathic Parkinson disease from the CAM Care PD study were presented that suggested that loneliness and social isolation can be risk factors for worsened disease severity.

The results, while enlightening, also provide some perspective on the importance of patient-centric outcomes and measures. For lead author Indu Subramanian, MD, director, VA Southwest Parkinson’s Disease Research, Education and Clinical Centers, and the Department of Neurology, UCLA, this is a critical part of improving the complete care of these patients. Particularly so with the future prevalence of Parkinson disease appearing to be constantly increasing in the coming years.

, Subramanian explained how social prescribing—the literal prescription of social interventions for patients—can play a key role in the care of lonely patients. She also detailed how conversations with patients and staying patient-focused with measures can improve the overall state of care for Parkinson disease.

REFERENCE
Subramanian I, Mischley L, Farahnik J. Loneliness/Social Isolation as a Risk Factor for Worsened Parkinson Disease Severity. Presented at MDS Virtual Congress; September 12–16, 2020.

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The director of the VA Southwest Parkinson’s Disease Research, Education, and Clinical Centers explained how social prescribing can play a key role in the prevention of social isolation.

Indu Subramanian, MD: Social Prescribing for Patients With Parkinson Disease

“It’s such a differently connected way of thinking about health these days that is quite profound as a pivot of change. I’m excited to see what the future holds. I think we have an opportunity to really think outside that box and intervene in ways that we never have before.”

In the last decade or so, medicine as a whole has begun to trend toward a more comprehensive care model, and while that has led to the widespread introduction of multidisciplinary teams to offer care, it has also led to some more outside-the-box thinking about patient care. A major part of that thinking is predicated on focusing on and improving quality of life for patients with chronic disease, in part by taking advantage of patient-centered measures. For patients with diseases such as Parkinson disease, this level of comprehensive care is essential.

For Indu Subramanian, MD, director, VA Southwest Parkinson’s Disease Research, Education, and Clinical Centers, and Department of Neurology, UCLA, this has been a particularly important area of interest. Subramanian explained to 

 that as a trained movement disorder neurologist who also specializes in wellness and integrative medicine approaches, she’s looked for ways to use these practices to provide a more holistic approach to patients. At the 

, September 12–16, 2020, she presented data from a survey study of more than 1700 patients with idiopathic Parkinson from the CAM Care PD study that revealed that loneliness may have a great impact on disease severity.

All told, those data revealed that individuals who reported feeling lonely had higher PRO-PD scores, higher even than those for smoking and having a lot of stress. In contrast, exercising 7 days per week was as beneficial for patients as feeling lonely was detrimental. Having a lot of friends was also shown to be beneficial. In this interview, Subramanian discussed how these data suggest the importance of more comprehensive care for these patients.

The director of the VA Southwest Parkinson’s Disease Research, Education and Clinical Centers discussed how loneliness can impact Parkinson disease severity and how holistic approaches to care may help.

Author | Indu Subramanian, MD

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