Learn more about Parkinson's and find support: https://dpf.org

Intimacy, in all its forms, doesn't disappear with a Parkinson's diagnosis, but it does change. In this episode, Dr. Kelly Rees joins Chris Krueger for a candid conversation about staying close when Parkinson's changes your body, your self-image, and your relationship. They talk through what to do when touch becomes unpleasant, how to navigate mismatched desire without pressuring each other, impulse control changes related to dopamine agonists, and how couples stay connected when symptoms mean sleeping in separate beds. Whether you live with Parkinson's or care for someone who does, Dr. Rees's closing advice holds the whole conversation: don't give up on yourself.

Kelly Rees, PhD is a board-certified therapist who specializes in intimacy, relationships, and sexual wellbeing in the context of Parkinson's. Dr. Rees has 15 years of clinical experience working with adults and couples, and she co-developed a program offering free intimacy and relationship classes to the Parkinson's community. Her work focuses on how Parkinson's symptoms, medications, body changes, and shifting roles can affect desire, connection, and communication, and on helping individuals and care partners adapt in ways that support quality of life and emotional closeness.

This conversation comes from the Davis Phinney Foundation's June 2026 Live Well Today webinar. Watch the full webinar video here: https://youtu.be/G6c7SQnHrLs

Sign up for updates on webinars, events, and resources for the Parkinson's community: https://dpf.org/newsletter

Learn more about Parkinson's and find support: https://dpf.org

For many people with Parkinson's, speech and swallowing issues are among the more difficult symptoms of Parkinson's. Having speech and swallowing challenges can be isolating and lead to complications like aspiration.

In this episode of The Parkinson's Podcast, listen in as Kevin Lockette, Neal Tomita, and Cheryl Lippman describe their experience with the Harmonica Parkinson's Project and how playing the harmonica can help people with Parkinson's improve their speech and swallowing while also connecting with their community.

For more about the Harmonica Parkinson's Project visit https://www.harmonicaparkinsonsproject.com/

Sign up for updates on webinars, events, and resources for the Parkinson's community: https://dpf.org/newsletter-signup

Learn more about Parkinson's and find support: https://dpf.org

In this episode of the Parkinson's Podcast, Chris Krueger talks with Linda English, David Dietz, and Rachel Ritter about cycling on gravel roads while living with Parkinson's.

This podcast was produced in Partnership with Dirty Free Hub, a non-profit organization that provides information about gravel cycling routes in 10 states, British Columbia, and Tasmania. Learn more about Dirty Free Hub at https://dirtyfreehub.org/.

The following is a list of equipment our guests recommended:

• Dropper post for ease of stopping and starting

• Rearview bike radar for safety when sharing roads with cars

• A rearview bicycle mirror can be placed on the handlebars or helmet

• Flat handlebars can help riders stay more upright

Sign up for updates on webinars, events, and resources for the Parkinson's community: https://dpf.org/newsletter-signup

Learn more about Parkinson's and find support: https://dpf.org

Sign up for updates on webinars, events, and resources for the Parkinson's community: https://dpf.org/newsletter-signup

Soccer and Parkinson's may not seem like an obvious connection—but for a growing number of people around the world, the beautiful game offers far more than exercise.

In this episode of the Parkinson's Podcast, Chris Krueger talks with Keith Sides about his experience participating in a Walking Soccer for Parkinson's program. Together, they discuss balance, coordination, confidence, community, and the value of trying something new after a Parkinson's diagnosis.

Whether you're a lifelong soccer fan or have never kicked a ball before, this conversation explores how finding enjoyable ways to move can support living well with Parkinson's.

Read the blog post about the Walking Soccer for Parkinson's program and find links to other resources about walking soccer: https://dpf.org/soccer-and-parkinsons

Learn more about Parkinson's and find support: https://dpf.org

Sign up for updates on webinars, events, and resources for the Parkinson's community: https://dpf.org/newsletter-signup

Davis Phinney Foundation, Copyright 2026

Learn more about Parkinson's and find support: https://dpf.org In part three of this three-part series on Parkinson's and the senses, the panel covers vision changes like difficulty driving at night, light sensitivity, depth perception, and how DBS adjustments can affect focus. They also discuss vertigo, dizziness, and the urinary urgency that many people with Parkinson's experience but rarely talk about, including practical strategies like pre-boarding flights and planning bathroom access.

Sign up for updates on webinars, events, and resources for the Parkinson's community:

https://dpf.org/newsletter-signup

Season 7 Episode 8

Davis Phinney Foundation, Copyright 2026

Learn more about Parkinson's and find support: https://dpf.org In part two of this three-part series on Parkinson's and the senses, the panel discusses how Parkinson's affects hearing, touch, and the ability to handle busy environments. They cover brain processing sound slower, overstimulation in noisy and crowded places, proprioception and not knowing where your body is in space, the challenge of touchscreens and keypads, and how loss of dexterity has directly impacted their careers.

Sign up for updates on webinars, events, and resources for the Parkinson's community:

https://dpf.org/newsletter-signup

Season 7 Episode 7

Davis Phinney Foundation, Copyright 2026

Learn more about Parkinson's and find support: https://dpf.org In part one of this three part series on Parkinson's and the senses, Amber, Chris, Sree, Kat, Stan, Larry, and Kristi talk about how Parkinson's affects the senses we don't always think about. The panel digs into smell and taste, from olfactory hallucinations and not knowing if you smell to craving stronger flavors, safety concerns around spoiled food and gas leaks, and digestive changes that come along for the ride.

Sign up for updates on webinars, events, and resources for the Parkinson's community:

https://dpf.org/newsletter-signup

Season 7 Episode 6

Davis Phinney Foundation, Copyright 2026

Learn more about Parkinson's and find support: https://dpf.org

In the series finale of the Parkinson's Podcast Unfiltered, hosts Heather Kennedy, Kat Hill, and Chris Krueger answer audience questions, including how to handle well-meaning strangers who grab you when you're frozen or struggling to walk. The conversation turns to what they're each grateful for after years of living with Parkinson's, from the people they've met to the deeper lessons in patience, self-compassion, and acceptance. They also open up about why the podcast has become harder to sustain as their own symptoms progress. It's an honest, heartfelt farewell that captures everything this show has been about.

Sign up for updates on webinars, events, and resources for the Parkinson's community: https://dpf.org/newsletter-signup

Season 7 Episode 5

Davis Phinney Foundation, Copyright 2026

Learn more about Parkinson's and find support: https://dpf.org

In this episode, Kat's husband Ken joins the panel to talk through the realities of planning ahead, from living trusts and hard family conversations to knowing when your plan needs to change. The conversation also takes on the language of "fighting" Parkinson's, and why both Kat and Ken have moved toward something more like partnership with the disease than battle. Along the way, the panel gets into the tension between independence and asking for help, and what honest communication actually looks like in a relationship shaped by chronic illness.

Sign up for updates on webinars, events, and resources for the Parkinson's community: https://dpf.org/newsletter-signup

Learn more about the Davis Phinney Foundation for Parkinsons's: https://dpf.org

Season 7 Episode 4

Learn more about Parkinson's and find support: https://dpf.org

In part two, Dr. Bas Bloem and Polly Dawkins tackle some of the most pressing topics in the Parkinson's community. They address sexual health, levodopa phobia head-on, share breakthrough research on intermittent hypoxia, and discuss the overlooked connection between gut health and medication effectiveness. This episode offers both cutting-edge science and practical guidance for living well with Parkinson's.

Sign up for updates on webinars, events, and resources for the Parkinson's community: https://dpf.org/newsletter-signup

Podcast Produced by Sia Urroz, Davis Phinney Foundation