By Jennifer Broadway, Administrator of Hospice and Certified Rock Steady Boxing Instructor, CC Young.
CC Young Senior Living Event Featuring The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research Smell Test Challenge Aims to Make Dallas the Number One City in America for Parkinson’s Awareness.
A person’s sense of smell plays a vital role in monitoring brain health, and ongoing smell loss can indicate cell damage associated with brain disease. In fact, emerging results from a landmark study by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research show that smell loss may be one of the most important signals of Parkinson’s disease risk.
For seniors, a loss of smell may first present as a loss of taste. One of every two people over 60 may be living with smell loss, yet 70% of people are unaware of this until they are tested. Because 100% of significant brain disorders are associated with smell loss, paying attention to this development is essential. (It’s also important to note that not everyone with smell loss develops Parkinson’s.)
To support its mission to end Parkinson’s disease, the Foundation seeks 100,000 seniors — age 60 and older, without Parkinson’s disease — to participate in a national Smell Test Challenge by taking a simple scratch-and-sniff test.
To help support the Foundation and advance understanding of why brain diseases affect many people as they age, CC Young Senior Living is encouraging its residents and the greater Dallas community to participate in the Smell Test Challenge.
CC Young, in partnership with The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, is leading the charge to enlist other area senior living communities
including Belmont Village Senior Living, Christian Care Communities and Services, Juliette Fowler Communities, Presbyterian Village North, The Legacy Midtown Park, The Legacy Willow Bend, The Preston of Park Cities and Ventana by Buckner to ensure that more individuals will participate in this groundbreaking research effort and make Dallas the number one city in America for Parkinson’s awareness. Smell Test Challenge kits, provided by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, will be available for pick-up at CC Young.
“This is a challenge – to senior living residents, their families, staff, and the greater community — to make Dallas the number one city in America to help advance the understanding of why brain diseases affect people as they age,” said Russell Crews, president, and CEO of CC Young Senior Living. “We believe bringing this information to our community will be educational for residents and their families in understanding the connection between smell loss and risk of brain disease. We look forward to contributing to the greater good of advancing research into brain health and aging.”
In honor of Parkinson’s Awareness Month, CC Young Senior Living is also hosting an educational forum and Rock Steady Boxing demonstration for its residents and the public to learn more about the disease and the latest resources available to help individuals with Parkinson’s live their best lives.
Wednesday, April 12, 10 – 11:30 am
Join the folks at The Point Auditorium on the CC Young campus for a 0ne-Two Combination to Fight Parkinson’s.
10 – 10:45 am
The event features an educational panel forum with Dallas-area experts that include:
- Nirav Pavasia, Board Certified General Neurologist and Certified Movement Disorders Specialist, Neurology Consultants of Dallas
- Leisha S. Phipps, MSW, Executive Director, Dallas Area Parkinson Society
- Jeremy Morgan, Director, CC Young Rehab Therapy
- Jennifer Broadway, BSN, MS, RN, CHPN, CC Young Administrator, and Rock Steady Boxing Certified Coach.
11 – 11:30 am
Ms. Broadway will lead a boxing demonstration starring CC Young residents.
CC Young community partners, including Alzheimer’s Association – Dallas & Northeast Texas Chapter; Dallas Area Gerontological Society; and Dallas Area Parkinson Society, will be on-site to answer questions and share resources and educational materials. Smell Test Challenge kits will also be available for pick-up at CC Young.
To register for this free event, please visit CCYoung.org/boxing or call 214-390-9561. Space is limited.
Crews added, “We are proud to be an advocate and host this important presentation for those living with Parkinson’s and for the individuals caring for loved ones with Parkinson’s. I want to thank our partners for helping us continue our mission of supporting older adults to live their best lives. Through programs like ours, and national research studies like the Smell Test Challenge, we are all making a difference in the lives of our residents and the Greater Dallas community.” For more information about CC Young, visit here.
According to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, more than 6 million people worldwide live with Parkinson’s today, and it is the second most common neurological disorder. Approximately 90,000 new cases will be diagnosed in the United States alone this year, and no known cure exists.
For more information about The Foundation and its invaluable work, visit here.
Jennifer Broadway, Administrator of Hospice and Certified Rock Steady Boxing Instructor, CC Young, joined CC Young in 2018 and has over 20 years of experience in the senior living industry. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from UTA and a Master of Science in Administration in Long Term Care and Retirement Facilities with a minor in Business Administration from UNT. Jennifer is a certified Hospice and Palliative Care Nurse through the Hospice and Palliative Nurse Association and a National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization member.
