BritMODIS 2022 returns with a focus on end of life care

Taking place as a hybrid event, around 60 neurologists, geriatricians, therapists, Parkinson's nurse specialists and other Parkinson's professionals came together in London for the meeting, joined online by around 140 more.

Hosted by the British Geriatrics Society Movement Disorders Section (BGS-MD Section), Association of Palliative Medicine and Parkinson's Disease Nurse Specialist Association (PDNSA), in association with the Parkinson’s Excellence Network, the meeting provided key opportunities for networking and learning after over 2 years apart.

Consultant geriatrician Dr Rob Skelly, started the day off and was followed by fellow consultant geriatrician Dr Ed Richfield, who spoke about developing Parkinson's palliative care and why it's important. He also outlined some of the challenges of palliative care for non malignant diseases. 

Commenting on the event, Ed said:

"The BritMODIS meeting focused exclusively on end of life care for people with Parkinson’s, bringing together specialists in palliative care, neurology and geriatrics to explore how we can better meet the palliative needs for people living with the condition.

"Throughout the day, the meeting moved from research and theory of service provision, to sharing practical experiences and a 'virtual MDT', as well as exploring individual symptom management strategies. The keynote speech from Professor Benzi Kluger highlighted the rapid growth of interest in neuro-palliative care and together the group discussed how the UK may be well placed to build these cross disciplinary collaborations, working to improve the lives of people with Parkinson’s."

Rowan Wathes, Associate Director of the Parkinson's Excellence Network, added:

"Myself and my colleagues in the Excellence Network thoroughly enjoyed attending BritMODIS. It was fantastic meeting so many people in person, many of which I was meeting for the first time. There are definitely things we can pick up within the Excellence Network to help improve palliative care for people with Parkinson's. We will be reflecting on these over the coming weeks and months." 

Spotlight on Parkinson’s Connect

Later on in the meeting, Katherine Crawford, Director of Services at Parkinson's UK, introduced Parkinson’s Connect, Parkinson’s UK’s new information and support service for Parkinson’s patients. Parkinson's Connect aims to bring together everything a person and their loved ones need to live better with Parkinson’s, and Katherine explained how professionals can be part of this journey by signing up to refer their patients for trusted support.

Catch up on demand

If you missed the meeting but have already registered virtually for the event, you can catch up on demand until next year! You can also see some of the highlights on the Excellence Network’s Twitter feed, as well as some live tweets from the British Geriatrics Society @GeriSoc.