Exchange, case conference & impulses
On 26 March 2025, around 60 participants from the region came together for the sixth network meeting of the Parkinson's Network OstwestfalenLippe+ (PNOWL+) in the auditorium of the CENTRUM INDUSTRIAL IT (CIIT) in Lemgo. The meeting focussed on professional exchange, new therapeutic approaches and the work of the various working groups.
Welcome by the project management
Project manager Prof. Dr. Christoph Redecker, Head Physician of the Department of Neurology and Neurogeriatrics at the University Hospital OWL, opened the meeting and warmly welcomed the guests. He was particularly pleased about the constant active involvement of the participants since PNOWL+ was founded two years ago.
Lecture on amplitude-based training
Lena Frenz, physiotherapist and therapy scientist at Münster University Hospital, presented the concept "Think BIG! - Amplitude-based training for Parkinson's disease". This is an intensive therapy in which Parkinson's patients learn to move better and speak more clearly with large movements and targeted speech training. The training takes place over several weeks and is then continued independently at home. It helps those affected to perceive and control their movements more consciously, which improves the movement sequence. At the same time, it helps them to articulate their speech more clearly - a common problem with Parkinson's.
The presentation met with great interest and led to a lively expert discussion, which once again emphasised the importance of interdisciplinary exchange in the context of networking.
Interprofessional case conference
As part of the third interprofessional case conference, Jennifer Leyendecker, a freelance clinical linguist, presented a case from her practice. Her presentation showed very clearly how quickly a patient's condition can deteriorate if an incorrect second medical opinion leads to a change in medication. The case study made it clear how important well-coordinated medication is in the everyday lives of Parkinson's patients.
Work in the working groups and presentation of new ideas
After a short break, the participants met in the three working groups:
- Qualification & further training
- App development
- Training for patients
Here, the participants were able to exchange ideas in multi-professional teams and further develop creative ideas. In the app development working group, inIT scientists Christoph-Alexander Holst and Patrick Gaudl from the inIT research group "Image Processing and Pattern Recognition and Sensor and Information Fusion", led by Prof. Dr. Volker Lohweg, reported on the opportunities and challenges of using Large Language Models (LLM) and Small Language Models (SLM) in healthcare - particularly with regard to the further development of the PD-Assist app already developed at inIT.
Finally, the results of the three working groups were presented in plenary session. Prof. Dr. Christoph Redecker thanked all participants for their continued commitment and announced the next network meeting for June 2025.