Learning you have Parkinson's disease (PD) may bring up feelings ranging from disbelief and despair, to relief at knowing the cause of previously unexplained symptoms. Now that you have this diagnosis, what is your first step? The short answer is, take a breath and learn about living with PD before making any significant life changes.
PD is not a death sentence, but it is progressive. The resources on this page will help you come to terms with your diagnosis, think about when and how to tell friends and family, understand that your symptoms are unique to you, and teach you to build on others' experience for your best quality of life with PD.
More general information about Parkinson's disease can be found on our Overview of PD page.
Downloadable Documents | Online Articles | Podcasts & Webinars | Online Courses
Every Victory Counts
Published by the Davis Phinney Foundation, 2021
This 382-page manual (PDF) is free in either paper or digital form. It provides an overview of Parkinson's disease, direction in assembling your wellness team and getting involved in research. It discusses managing emotions and both personal and workplace issues. The bulk of the text is about living well and managing both motor and non-motor symptoms through exercise, nutrition, counseling and medications.
Frequently Asked Questions: A Guide to Parkinson's Disease
Published by Parkinson's Foundation, 2024
This 27-page booklet (PDF) answers the most frequently asked questions about motor and non-motor symptoms, treatments, exercise and therapies, hospital safety, finding support, staying independent, the impact of PD on the family, and research. There is an appendix with a medications list.
Guide for the Newly Diagnosed
Published by the Michael J. Fox Foundation, January 19, 2022
This 32-page booklet (PDF) offers six tips for your first year with Parkinson's Disease (PD). It also talks about whether you should get a second opinion, how did you get PD (and will your children get it), managing emotions and how stress makes symptoms worse, finding good advice and information about PD, managing symptoms, making the most of doctor appointments, participating in PD research, and sharing your diagnosis with others.
Living Well with Parkinson's Disease, 10 Things You Can Do Now
Published by American Parkinson Disease Association, 2018
This two-page educational supplement (PDF) suggests 10 lifestyle changes to most effectively care for yourself after a diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease. Suggestions are based on research and what those with PD and their care partners have found most effective in delaying the progression of symptoms and being ready for coping with advanced stages.
Newly Diagnosed Guide
Published by Parkinson's Foundation
This 8-page booklet (PDF) was created with direction from people with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) to ensure readers have the information they need to know. It provides an overview of PD (symptoms, causes, and treatments), 5 steps to live better today with PD, and talks about building your care team, preparing for appointments, and questions to ask your doctor.
Parkinson's Disease Handbook
Published by American Parkinson Disease Association, 2019
This 44-page booklet (PDF) reviews the symptoms, cause, and treatment of PD. There are also sections on social issues and patient support as well as a glossary of key terms.
The 51-page 2023 edition is available for download by providing your name and email address.
PD 360: Real Talk for Patients and Families
Published by the Michael J. Fox Foundation, 2016
This 58-page booklet (PDF) walks through the different symptoms, as well as the emotional and social changes that may arise at different points in the journey. It's a candid and relatable guide for patients and families living with Parkinson's.
En español: Conociendo la enfermedad de Parkinson
Newly diagnosed: Building a Better Life with Parkinson’s
Published by the Parkinson’s Foundation
This webpage contains a short video featuring advice from people with Parkinson’s and caregivers. There are also links to other Parkinson’s Foundation webpages on living well, accessing the Parkinson’s Foundation helpline, ordering the free Newly Diagnosed Kit and signing up for PD Conversations (an online Parkinson’s community).
A Primer on Parkinson's for the Newly Diagnosed
Published by the Davis Phinney Foundation, January 23, 2017
This webpage has five expanding sections with information answering these questions: How is Parkinson’s diagnosed? How did I get Parkinson’s and when did it start? What is a Parkinson’s care team and who should be on mine? What can I do to live well with Parkinson’s? Where can I find more resources and information?
5 Tips for the Newly Diagnosed
By the Stanford Parkinson's Community Outreach Program, June 2024
This four-minute video passes on tips from people with Parkinson's to those who are newly diagnosed. Information under the YouTube video provides several links to Stanford Parkinson's webpages to find a support group, exercise (benefits, classes, and videos), nutrition, and more.
Newly Diagnosed: Building a Better Life with Parkinson's
By the Parkinson's Disease Foundation, June 18, 2021
In this 95-minute video a neurologist and a social worker will provide an overview of Parkinson's Disease (PD), including causes, symptoms, disease management, as well as resources and tools to help you live well with Parkinson’s disease. This program will also help you understand the physical and emotional impact of Parkinson’s on the individual and family.
I was Diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, Now What?
By the American Parkinson Disease Association, March 31, 2022
Movement disorders specialist Stephanie Bissonnette, MD, speaks for about 10 minutes PD symptoms, diagnosis, and that your priorities following a PD diagnosis should be exercise, a healthy diet, and medication IF symptoms interfere with your ability to perform daily tasks or exercise. Dr. Bissonnette answered listener questions on a variety of PD topics for another 30 minutes, mostly about being newly diagnosed and participating in clinical trials.
I’ve Got Parkinson’s…Now What? Navigating a New Parkinson’s Diagnosis
By the Michael J. Fox Foundation, May 21, 2020
In this 1-hour webinar expert panelists and people with Parkinson’s discuss practical tips and personal viewpoints on being diagnosed with PD as well as ways to connect with the community. [Registration is required but is free.]
Webinar Notes on the Stanford PD Community Blog
Let's Talk: Discussing the Diagnosis and Navigating Family Dynamics
By CurePSP, July 30, 2019
In this hour long talk at the 2019 CurePSP Family Conference, Jessica Shurer, MSW, LCSW discusses how to explain your diagnosis to people unfamiliar with it in understandable terms, and how family members and caregivers can help with this conversation. While the diagnosis referred to in this talk is progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), which is a parkinsonism with similarities to Parkinson's Disease, the concept is the same.
Ms. Shurer gave a similar half-hour talk at the CurePSP Family Conference in Nov. 2020. That talk is posted on the CurePSP YouTube channel.
New to Parkinson's? Steps to Take Today
By the Michael J. Fox Foundation, February 2021
In this one-hour webinar from the Third Thursday Webinar series, panelists discuss practical tips for navigating a new Parkinson’s diagnosis, including how to build your care team, ways to connect with the community and opportunities to participate in research.
Newly Diagnosed: Living Your Best Life with Parkinson’s
By the Parkinson's Foundation, June 9, 2020
The objectives of this one-hour webinar are to understand the importance of patient education and support from the time of diagnosis, understand caregiver burden and how to prevent it, understand the interdisciplinary team approach to care and the role of palliative care in Parkinson’s disease.
Parkinson's Disease: New Diagnosis Workshop
By Parkinson Society BC, February 8, 2022
The first two parts of this four-part series are each one hour long. Part one provides an overview of Parkinson's Disease (PD) causes, risk factors, diagnosis, disease progression, and symptoms. Part two focuses on symptom management. Part three is nearly 90-minutes on the benefits of exercise and how to exercise consistently and safely with PD. Part four is 45-minutes on how a social worker, occupational therapist (OT), and speech language therapist (SLP) can help.
Parkinson's Disease 101: What You and Your Family Should Know
By the Parkinson's Foundation, April 4, 2024
This 1-hour webinar, movement disorders specialist Leslie J. McCloud, MD, provides a basic overview of Parkinson’s disease, including what Parkinson’s is, what causes it, common symptoms, treatments, and strategies for managing symptoms.
Parkinson’s Disease - Introduction to Treatment
By Panorama Patient Network, 2017
This series of 9 short videos explore how Parkinson's Disease (PD) is diagnosed, whether PD can be predicted, long term prognosis, concern over taking too much levodopa, lifestyle changes to improve quality of life after a PD diagnosis, anxiety, depression, and psychosis.
Patient Voices: Parkinson’s Disease
By Karen Barrow with The New York Times, August 2008 (republished June 6, 2017)
Patient Voices is an audio-visual series that tells the stories of people living with chronic illness. The Parkinson’s Disease edition has five videos about people diagnosed in different stages of life and their different paths to live with it. [Subscription to The New York Times may be required.]
Hollistic and Supportive Care for Living Well With Parkinson's
By the Davis Phinney Foundation, November 11, 2020
In this 1-hour webinar, Dr. Christopher Tarolli speaks about how those with Parkinson's disease (PD) are often not well supported in their symptom management. There is a better model of care for those with PD but it is not widely available. Dr. Tarolli gives tips for finding the best experts in your area to be on your care team so you can live your best life with PD.
Parkinson's MOOC
By the University of Tasmania, 2025
This 5-module Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) is designed to provide you with in-depth knowledge about Parkinson’s, its symptoms, risk factors and pathology, medicines and medical devices, allied health therapies, and strategies for living well with Parkinson’s.
Last updated November 2024 by Stanford Parkinson's Community Outreach.
