A new Tasmanian program is helping people who are newly diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease understand their condition, build confidence and access support earlier.
Called Next Moves, the education and support program is being led by Occupational Therapist and Allied Health Director Christy Dorward, with support from the Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation.
For Christy, the focus is simple: helping people feel more informed and supported at a time when a new diagnosis can bring a lot of questions.
“Where do I go from here?” can be one of the biggest questions facing someone newly diagnosed with Parkinson’s.
Next Moves has been designed to help answer it.
Care designed with the people who use it
Next Moves is a collaboration between the Tasmanian Health Service, the University of Tasmania and Parkinson’s Tasmania.
Importantly, the program hasn’t simply been designed for people living with Parkinson’s. It has been developed with them.
People living with Parkinson’s, their care partners and clinicians have all contributed to shaping the program, helping ensure it reflects the experiences and needs of the people it is intended to support.
The program aims to improve participants’ understanding of Parkinson’s, build knowledge around self-management and help people access appropriate intervention and support earlier.
Why early support matters
Parkinson’s is a complex condition, and everyone’s experience can be different. Having access to the right information and support early can help people better understand what they are experiencing and feel more confident managing their health.
For clinicians, programs like Next Moves also provide an opportunity to rethink how care is delivered - moving beyond treating individual symptoms to supporting the whole person as they navigate life with Parkinson’s.
That could mean helping someone understand their diagnosis, connecting them with the right services or providing practical strategies they can use in their everyday life.
Local ideas, local impact
For Christy, the project is an opportunity to bring together clinical expertise, research and the lived experience of people with Parkinson’s to improve care here in Tasmania.
And that’s what makes projects like Next Moves so important.
Research doesn’t always happen in a laboratory. Sometimes it starts with a clinician asking how care could work better for the people sitting in front of them.
With the support of the Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation, Christy and her collaborators are putting that question into action.
We look forward to sharing more about Next Moves and the impact it has for Tasmanians living with Parkinson’s as the program progresses.
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Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation
