The Parkinson’s Kitchen: Nutrition, Tools & Techniques

A Guide to Food as Medicine

Wednesday, November 4, 2:00 – 4:00 pm

RVNAhealth Teaching Kitchen, 27 Governor Street, Ridgefield CT

Join RVNAhealth’s registered dietitian, occupational therapist, and speech language pathologist for a hands-on cooking demonstration that brings together nutrition, adaptive equipment and easier kitchen techniques, and practical advice on chewing, swallowing, food textures, and mealtime safety.

Drawing from The Parkinson’s Plate by Michael S. Okun, MD—co-author of The Parkinson’s Plan—and Emily Truscott, MS, RD, LD, this program connects expert guidance with recipes and ideas for eating well with Parkinson’s.

As our registered dietitian prepares recipes from the book, the conversation will unfold right alongside the cooking. Our occupational therapist will introduce adaptive kitchen equipment and easier ways to handle common kitchen tasks, while our speech-language pathologist will add practical guidance around chewing, swallowing, food textures, and mealtime safety. Along the way, we’ll talk about nutrition, ingredients, preparation techniques, and small changes that can make cooking with Parkinson’s easier while keeping food healthy, delicious, and enjoyable.

Participants will see adaptive equipment in action, discover recipes to make at home, and leave with useful ideas for the kitchen and table. Admission is free. Please register here.

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Carmen Weber, RDN, CDN, RVNAhealth Registered Dietitian, brings more than 25 years of experience in community nutrition, education and counseling, with a career spanning senior nutrition programs, food access initiatives, corporate dining and community health. In her role at RVNAhealth, she works closely with clinicians and therapists to incorporate nutrition into a patient’s overall care, while also providing individualized nutrition counseling. Carmen leads monthly cooking classes and presents programs on nutrition and healthy living throughout lower Fairfield County. With degrees in both communications and dietetics, she has a particular talent for making nutrition practical, approachable, and easier to put into everyday life.

Sarah Triano, OTR/L, CDRS, RVNAhealth Occupational Therapist, has extensive experience helping adults regain independence and function following orthopedic and neurological conditions. She works with patients recovering from shoulder and hand injuries, joint replacement and stroke, as well as those living with Parkinson’s disease and other neurological conditions. Sarah focuses on the everyday activities that matter most to her patients, helping them improve strength, coordination and mobility and find practical ways to make daily tasks easier and safer. She first joined RVNAhealth in 2015 and provides occupational therapy in both home and outpatient settings. Sarah is also a Certified Driving Rehabilitation Specialist and teaches wellness classes, including boxing.

Susan DiGregorio, M.A CCC-SLP, LSVT, RVNAhealth Speech-Language Pathologist has over 15 years of experience working with adults and specializes in the rehabilitation of swallowing, speech, language, cognition and voice following neurological conditions, traumatic injuries, and treatment for head and neck cancer. She joined RVNAhealth in 2017 after eight years working in a sub-acute setting. Susan earned her M.A. in Speech-Language Pathology from CUNY Lehman and holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). She is also a Certified Dementia Practitioner.

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*RVNAhealth is a private, 501c(3) non-profit organization which provides a continuum of care to people in 35+ towns across Fairfield, Litchfield, and New Haven Counties. These programs are made possible thanks to the generosity of our donors. If you would like to support RVNAhealth’s mission to deliver unmatched, compassionate healthcare when and where it is needed and help us build stronger, healthier communities, please click here.

RVNAhealth.org / 203.438.5555 / Medicare Certified / Serving Towns Across Western CT