About us
Our vision and aims
The Team at the Movement Disorders Program supports you to take control of your Parkinson’s disease, or other movement disorder, to optimise your quality of life and to live life to the full.
The health care Team at the Movement Disorders Program are here to:
- Help you deal with the impact of being recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
- Provide you, your caregiver and family with information, advice and support to help you manage the problems and challenges you face due to having a movement disorder such as Parkinson’s disease.
- Provide medical and multidisciplinary assessments and treatments from health professionals you can trust as they are experts in the field of movement disorders, in particular Parkinson’s disease.
- Connect you and your caregiver with a supportive community to share your hopes and fears for the future.
- Provide support and help to you the caregiver, both emotionally and physically, through provision of advice and services and by connecting you to other caregivers.
- Provide expert care from the multidisciplinary team to manage the challenges when living with advanced Parkinson’s disease.
Who we are
The Monash Health Movement Disorders Program at the Kingston Centre is dedicated to the provision of a world class health service for people with Parkinson’s disease, or other movement disorders, their caregiver and family.
The Movement Disorders Program includes a multidisciplinary team of experts who provide assessment, treatment, advice and support for every stage of your journey, from the early years to the later years of your Parkinson’s disease.
The Movement Disorder Program offers inpatient services, outpatient clinic appointments and community visits.
The research department of the program, the Clinical Research Centre for Movement Disorders, works closely with the clinicians across the program to ensure the services offered are based on current evidence thereby ensuring best care for you.
Our history
The Monash Health Movement Disorders Program (MDP) at the Kingston Centre was established in 1993 by Professor Robert Iansek, the Director of the program.
Since its inception, the program has continued to grow both in the scope of the services and the range of specialised health professionals involved.
The MDP has been recognised by the Parkinson’s Foundation of America as a Centre of Excellence in the provision of healthcare for people living with Parkinson’s disease. Our program was the first to achieve this prestigious recognition in Australia. Being recognised as a Centre of Excellence is based on the scope of the services offered, the expertise of the staff, their commitment to ongoing training and attendance at conferences, completion of research and publications.
Our expert team members
Our expert multidisciplinary team of doctors and allied health professionals are committed to providing best care for you and your carer and family.
Our Team of experts includes:
- movement disorder medical specialists – Neurologists and Specialist Geriatrician
- junior medical staff
- dietitian
- neuropsychologist
- nursing
- occupational therapists
- physiotherapists
- social workers
- speech pathologists
- allied health assistant
- administration team
Our medical specialists are trained and experienced in the diagnosis and treatment of all movement disorders. All are Fellows of their respective Royal Australian College. They are involved in the education of junior medical staff, medical students and doctors in the community.
The director of the Movement Disorder Program, Professor Robert Iansek (OAM), is a neurologist specialised in movement disorders, in particular Parkinson’s disease, and is internationally renowned and recognised as an expert in his field, having published articles in medical journals and medical books on movement disorders.
Members of the allied health team are all experts in their fields in the assessment and treatment of Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders.
The services we provide
Our multidisciplinary team can provide a range of services for you according to your needs and includes:
- medical diagnosis
- advice and ongoing monitoring and adjustment of medications for your movement disorder, e.g. Parkinson’s disease
- coordination of deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery
- coordination of introduction of Duodopa intestinal gel
- assessments by relevant members of our multidisciplinary team and development of a tailored care plan to address your individual needs
- provision of education about your specific movement disorder
- provision of counselling for you, your carers and/or family
- assistance to arrange referrals for appropriate community support services
- comprehensive assessment in your home
- if you live in a residential care facility, we can provide education to staff at your facility to assist them in managing your medications,  symptoms and problems relating to your Parkinson’s disease or other movement disorder
- support for the carer, such as counselling, advice on support services, links to other carers, such as the Movement Disorders Program monthly carers group
- referral to other specialists, e.g. urologist and continence clinic
- referral to other services for additional rehabilitation
- palliative care support.
What our clients, those with PD and caregivers, say about our service
“We think this is the best place ever. I just can’t believe that we’re living so close to a centre of excellence like this.”
“This place has been wonderful to me, being involved in so many different things and everybody looks after you.”
“It’s the best place I’ve ever been to. I came here, it feels like a team. Everyone knows you when you walk in, they know who you are and it’s just really like a team effort.”
“If you’ve got a particular issue, then they sort it out”
“People who really know what they’re doing.”
“It wasn’t just about him, it was me too. He has the Parkinson’s, but I live it, like everybody here.”
Watch the ‘Your stories’ video – A patient’s family share their story and experiences with our Movement Disorders Program.
Newly diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease – what next?
The MDP team is here to support you. It is well recognised that how the person receives the diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease has a large influence on how they respond emotionally. The Kingston Centre MDP has Parkinson’s specialist neurologists and specialist geriatricians who understand the impact of receiving a diagnosis of Parkinson’s. When our medical doctors discuss your diagnosis with you, they will provide you, your carer and family with the support and understanding you need. They will listen to you, answer your questions and refer you to the appropriate team member for ongoing support.
Receiving the diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease, or any movement disorder, affects people differently. The emotional effect on you and your family can be very different to how others may respond to receiving the same diagnosis. You may feel overwhelmed at times and unsure about your future. The MDP team members can support you and your family to deal with the diagnosis and help you plan for the future.
Understanding your Parkinson’s disease, or other movement disorder, is one way to help you deal with the emotional impact of the diagnosis. Members of the team can assist you and your family in understanding the disorder itself, in recognising the symptoms and explaining the treatment options available to you. They can direct you to reliable and trustworthy resources relating to Parkinson’s disease to help you manage your health, both physical and mental.
Many of the early symptoms of Parkinson’s disease can be treated readily with the right medications. Because each person is affected differently by their Parkinson’s, when to commence medications and which ones to commence with will also vary. Our specialist neurologists and geriatricians are the best people to discuss the various medical options available to you. They will work with you to develop a treatment plan tailored to your needs.
If you are still working, you may be concerned about your ability to continue working, how your work colleagues will react and what this means for you and your family financially. The team members of the MDP can assist in helping you deal with these concerns.
See our section on referrals to learn how to make an appointment to see a member of our team.
The following organisations provide reliable and trustworthy information on their websites for the person newly diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Note that some of the websites link to international Parkinson’s organisations that are giving advice and information for services that are unique to their geographical locations and do not apply to people living in Australia.
Parkinson’s Victoria website
Advice for the newly diagnosed
Parkinson’s Australia website
Advice for the newly diagnosed
The Parkinson’s Foundation website
Advice for the newly diagnosed
Support for Carers
Do you care for someone with Parkinson’s disease? If you care for someone with a Movement Disorder such as Parkinson’s disease the Kingston Centre Movement Disorders Program has support services available for you.
Carer Support Group
We offer a monthly carer support group which aims to provide you with the opportunity to share your experiences of caring for someone with Parkinson’s disease with other carers. The health professionals from the Movement Disorders Clinic who run the sessions are available for you to speak to and to seek advice from. The sessions also give you the opportunity to take a brief break from your role as carer.
We are happy to run educational sessions on topics that interest you.
What our clients say:
“(The group) has given me the opportunity to meet other carers with similar difficulties caring for Parkinson loved ones…I am enlightened by the information…”
“But once you go into the group, you know what is happening. You have hope, you have life and you think you are actually going to be of help to the person and that is heartening.”
Specialist Counselling
All of your clinicians are aware of the impact of being a carer has on your health, well-being and lifestyle. At the Movement Disorders Clinic we offer individual counselling sessions with a member of the social work team. They can support you from the time your loved one received their diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease , or of another movement disorder.
Holiday Programs
Each year we run 2-3 holidays fully funded by the Victorian Government. These include:
- 3 night holiday for the person with a Movement Disorder and their partner/friend
- Carers only 3 night holiday
- Carers overnight city break with theatre trip
These holidays enable you to meet other individuals experiencing similar challenges in a supportive environment and create new friendships. We utilise the service of a professional tour company who arrange the itinerary, provide a professional carer for the couple’s trip and a bus driver. A staff member from the clinic will attend the carer only holidays to provide opportunities for discussions and emotional support. Holiday destinations are within 2 hours drive of Melbourne and will be based in disabled friendly accommodation with equipment provided as needed.
The team members carefully consider who to invite on each trip based on a range of factors, such as level of carer stress, mobility difficulties, safety due to falls risk and swallowing ability.
What our clients say:
“We can’t stop talking about just how awesome the recent tour to Lakes Entrance was…her sense of self-worth revitalised. I under-estimated just how much she would benefit from this event….we departed as strangers and returned as friends.”