Our Fresco Institute Care Team
At the Marlene and Paolo Fresco Institute for Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders at NYU Langone, we believe that patients are best cared for by an expert and dedicated team of healthcare professionals who work together to enhance your quality of life. The team attends to your physical, emotional, and social needs. We are committed to providing comprehensive and compassionate care through every stage of the disease.
Your core care team consists of neurologists, nurses, and social workers. We also collaborate with occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech–language pathologists, and palliative care providers who help focus on quality-of-life issues.
Neurologists
Neurologists are physicians who specialize in disorders of the brain and nervous system. A movement disorders specialist is a neurologist who has completed additional training in movement disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease. These doctors assess your medical status, prescribe and monitor medications, and make referrals and recommendations for care.
Social Workers
The social worker at the Fresco Institute is a healthcare specialist who help patients, care partners, and families adapt to the emotional, physical, and practical concerns of living with Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders.
Our social worker is uniquely qualified to assess psychosocial needs, provide psychological counseling, help patients to understand and implement their treatment plans, assist in long-term planning, and make referrals to support and wellness resources in the community and in the home. Learn more about our social work services.
Nurses
The team at the Fresco Institute includes a registered nurse who assesses individual concerns and difficulties, educate patients and their caregivers, and provide referrals to recommended programs and services. Our nurse assists in the assessment of patients’ physical and psychological status and monitors the effects and side effects of medications.
Services Available at Rusk Rehabilitation
Many of our services are available through Rusk Rehabilitation, where people with Parkinson’s disease and movement disorders can receive the physical rehabilitation that is an important part of the treatment plan.
Physiatry
Physiatrists are physicians who specialize in physical medicine and rehabilitation. They oversee your treatment team and coordinate your physical and medical care. A physiatrist can monitor your response to therapy and make adjustments in medications or your treatment plan to promote optimum functioning and enhance your quality of life.
Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapists use exercise, adaptive devices, and modifications to your usual routines to help you preserve motor function and retain your independence for as long as possible.
Our therapies help people perform activities of daily living, including feeding, bathing, grooming, toileting, dressing, bed and chair transfers, writing, and workplace activities. We can also help you with issues such as balance and coordination, as well as work with you to make sure you have the skills and adaptations necessary to live safely at home.
Physical Therapy
When Parkinson’s disease affects gait and mobility, our physical therapists can help. We create individual and goal-specific exercise programs and therapies that focus on improving balance, strength, posture, flexibility, and endurance. Physical therapists also help families by teaching safe, effective, and efficient ways to provide a loved one with the physical assistance he or she needs.
Speech–Language Pathology
If you develop issues related to speech, voice, memory, and swallowing, our speech–language pathologists can help. The speech–language pathology program at NYU Langone’s Rusk Rehabilitation provides treatment.
Rusk Rehabilitation’s Swallowing Disorders Program provides evaluation and treatment focused on improving swallowing function.