5 years of ParkinsonNet Luxembourg
As one of the first international networks, ParkinsonNet Luxembourg now celebrates it’s 5 year anniversary. The network began full operations in 2018 with the first multidisciplinary professional training.
On November 19th, a celebration was held in Luxembourg at the Residence of H.E. Mr. Cees Bansema, Ambassador of the Netherlands. Researchers, health professionals and representatives of the Ministry of Health, Caisse Nationale de la Santé (CNS), Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR), and research institutions from Luxembourg, as well as people diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, attended the event. Achievements were shared, status and future developments of ParkinsonNet Luxembourg were discussed, and the fruitful collaboration between Luxembourg and the Netherlands in the field of Parkinson’s disease was celebrated. Mr. Bansema praised the successful partnership, noting that through the network, the strong bonds between the Netherlands and Luxembourg continue to be reinforced.
There is a high interest for funding these effective treatments on a national level in Luxembourg. Dr. Jean-Claude Schmit, Director of Health Luxembourg, congratulates ParkinsonNet for piloting in the field in Luxembourg and for establishing a mature network. “It is fulfilling the requirements of the ‘réseau de compétences’. Therefore, the Ministry of Health is ready to support and fund this initiative.”
Today, ParkinsonNet Luxembourg continually strives to improve the quality of life for people with Parkinson’s. The members are fully committed to continuing medical education as an essential component to best practice for patient support, and crucial to the programme’s success. “It sets a new standard in integrated care for complex chronic diseases and benefits from the expertise of a multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals that provides instrumental information for people in the field beyond PD.” explains Prof. Dr. Rejko Krüger, initiator of ParkinsonNet Luxembourg.
Mr. Kloos who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2021 shared his experiences: “ParkinsonNet helped me a lot. After the diagnosis, I got excellent support by the ParkinsonNet healthcare professionals. Thanks to them, I have a much better understanding of the disease and know how to live with Parkinson’s.” Mariella Graziano, physiotherapist trainer for ParkinsonNet Luxembourg, emphasised the importance of training the team of healthcare providers to be well-equipped with skills to help the people with Parkinson’s. “On top of the excellent scientific training, one of the most important lessons that we learned from our Dutch colleagues is that the patient is the expert of having the disease, and as such, he is a member of his therapeutic team and not a mere receiver of care.” adds Sylvia Herbrink, speech and language therapist trainer for ParkinsonNet Luxembourg.
An example to follow
The lessons learned during ParkinsonNet Luxembourg’s implementation, will be extrapolated for planning additional integrated care networks for other chronic diseases, such as stroke, multiple sclerosis or and inflammatory bowel disease. “When we supported the National Centre for Excellence in Research on Parkinson’s Disease (NCER-PD) project eight years ago, we didn’t dream of the rapid impact it would have on the patients and on the society overall.” comments Dr. Marc Schiltz, Secretary General of the FNR.
The positive attitude was also shared by Prof. Dr. Bas Bloem, the initiator of ParkinsonNet. Prof. Dr. Bloem concludes “I am very proud of ParkinsonNet Luxembourg, and I am happy to support the network further.” As a next step, he recommends a scale-up including other neurological diseases. The event participants unanimously agreed that expertise and a passion for patient care are a vital partnership for battling Parkinson’s disease.
We, the ParkinsonNet International team’, are so proud of the accomplishments of the network in Luxembourg. A trusted partner in the dream to create a better world for people living with parkinson’s worldwide. We are looking forward to continuing this valuable collaboration.
Text, source and more information: www.parkinsonnet.lu
