At Resolve Parkinson’s, we recognize that the system of care and research for Parkinson’s disease is deeply flawed — a sticky, complex, and global problem that is poorly understood and difficult to resolve. Despite billions of dollars spent on research and care, the status quo remains entrenched, and there's been little progress toward effective treatments and a cure. The problems we observe demonstrate the deep-rooted inadequacies in today's system.
By approaching these challenges with innovative strategies and a commitment to systemic reform, we can pave the way for a brighter future.
Why the System Is Broken
The stagnation in Parkinson’s care and research stems from misaligned incentives, fragmented systems, and a fundamental lack of knowledge about the disease. This creates barriers to progress that impact millions of lives worldwide.
Missing Foundational Knowledge:
We still don’t fully understand how Parkinson’s begins, evolves, or spreads in the human body. Without this knowledge, we cannot consistently measure the results of treatments, assess long-term harm or benefit, or develop targeted interventions.
Weak Delivery Systems:
Even when effective solutions are identified, the global delivery system is so fragmented and inadequate that it creates significant gaps in service for patients. Few countries, like the Netherlands, have defined or implemented a comprehensive system of care.
Misaligned Incentives:
Research and care systems are shaped by financial motivations rather than patient needs. Solutions that can’t be monetized, such as lifestyle interventions or natural remedies, receive little attention or funding. This perpetuates the status quo and discourages innovation.
It's Time for a New Paradigm
Addressing the challenges we see requires more than incremental improvements. It demands a bold, multi-faceted approach to disrupt the status quo and reimagine the system from the ground up. Historical examples of solving “sticky” problems show that meaningful change requires diverse efforts working in parallel:
- Multiple centers of initiative pursuing different methods to disrupt existing frameworks
- Collaborative experimentation, with results analyzed both individually and across patterns
- Boundaries of regulated processes pushed to enable innovation
- Diverse expertise coming together to create new conceptual frameworks and strategies.
We believe that only comprehensive systems reform, if not outright reformation, will yield sustained and meaningful benefits for People with Parkinson’s and their caregivers.
Our Vision
We see a future where Parkinson’s Disease is not just managed but understood holistically. This means treating Parkinson’s not as a movement disorder but as a multisystemic syndrome. Early identification, whole-body intervention, and a multi-faceted approach to care will become the standard, enabling us to prevent, halt, or reverse disease progression.
To achieve this, we need systemic reform that integrates the lived experiences of people with Parkinson’s, prioritizes non-motor symptoms, and emphasizes equitable access to effective care and innovative solutions.
Our Strategy for Change
The path to meaningful reform is not simple, but it is possible. We’re committed to driving systemic reform through a visionary and actionable approach. We aim to soften the rigid barriers of the current system and introduce innovations that will make a lasting impact.
Here’s how:
Resolve Parkinson’s will serve as the hub for social action, advocacy, and collaborative innovation to challenge the status quo and drive the following strategies forward:
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Building Awareness and Understanding
Transforming the Parkinson's landscape begins with a shared understanding of the problems, contributing factors, and root causes. This foundational knowledge will drive a global movement for change.
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Fostering Collaboration
By building relationships with individuals and organizations who share our vision, we will create a community of advocates and allies. Trust, engagement, and a shared commitment to reform will be the bedrock of our efforts.
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Empowering the Community
Our website will serve as a central hub for education, engagement, action, and support. It will connect people with Parkinson’s, their Care Partners, researchers, clinicians, and advocates to help build a unified front for change.
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Driving Innovation and Influence
Resolve Parkinson’s will implement targeted influence strategies to challenge dogmas, address knowledge gaps, and reframe priorities. We will leverage patient-led research and foster collaborative learning between patients, researchers, and clinicians.
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Achieving Collective Action
Through consistent support, progress tracking, and shared successes, we will encourage collaborative action that broadens our sphere of influence. By amplifying our community’s voices and sharing the resulting thought products, we will inspire systemic reforms.
A Working Timeline
- Identify critical knowledge gaps and reexamine entrenched dogmas
- Develop and disseminate alternative paradigms for understanding and treating Parkinson’s
- A model for collaborative learning among patients, researchers, and clinicians will be debated, documented, and disseminated
- Establish the inclusion of patient lived experience as mandatory in publicly funded research, and best practice for private research efforts
- Secure dedicated funding for patient-identified solutions, such as lifestyle changes or natural products that can’t be patented or otherwise monetized
- We will seek to participate in any public hearings on the Parkinson's care system
- Yield a new, more hopeful model of Parkinson’s that includes underlying physiology, and metabolic and ecosystem changes that can be addressed with existing tools that had previously been ignored
- The scientific, health research, and medical community value the lived experience of people with Parkinson’s.
- Perceptions and practices shift to define Parkinson’s as a multisystemic syndrome rather than a brain disease or a movement disorder limited to brain neurology
- There is a reprioritization of non-motor symptoms in research and care
The Ultimate Outcome
We aim for a healthcare system where Parkinson’s disease is no longer a mystery or a life sentence. Our vision is one of early identification, holistic interventions, and, ultimately, prevention or a cure. Together, we can reimagine the future where innovation thrives, patient voices are heard, and every individual impacted by Parkinson’s can envision a brighter tomorrow
Join Us in Creating a New Paradigm
Resolve Parkinson’s is more than a nonprofit — we are a movement for change. Together, we can transform the Parkinson’s system of care and research to improve lives and find lasting solutions. Let’s reimagine what’s possible and build a future where innovation, collaboration, and compassion guide us toward a cure. Learn how you can get involved.
