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Continue reading →: A Payment Barrier For People With Parkinson’s — And What I Did About It. Paying a fee with your smartphone is easy — unless your hands don’t work. What an encounter with the Oregon State Parks parking fee collections system taught me about accessibility, and about communicating with state government. .
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Continue reading →: Get Your Hearing Checked. I’m Talking to YOU. Those of us with Parkinson’s have almost twice as much risk as the general public of having significant hearing loss. In this post, you’ll learn how hearing loss correlates with falls, isolation, and dementia. When you’re done reading, go get your hearing checked! Bonus: a bizarre whistling version of the “Freebird” guitar solo, and…
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Continue reading →: It’s Me Against Putin — Diary of a Stalemate. I’m sometimes asked how my “battle” with Parkinson’s is going. While I appreciate the support, I’m reluctant to use military terminology to describe the situation — the level of bravery required of me in a Tai Chi class doesn’t quite match what’s needed in real combat. But there are times when a military metaphor…
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Continue reading →: Emptying the Notebook: What Stuck With Me at the World Parkinson Congress. Last week 4000 members of the Parkinson’s community — PWP’s, care partners, researchers, doctors, professors and influencers — spent four days in Phoenix trading tips, tricks, data and stories. Here are my impressions of World Parkinson’s Congress 2026. Bonus: Eddie Vedder and Glen Hansard do a sublime version of Springsteen’s “Drive All Night.” Also,…
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Continue reading →: Who Gets to Decide? Autonomy, Ambition, and Parkinson’s Disease. In the Parkinson’s community, we’re all keeping an eye on each other. Sometimes the people around us make decisions that seem risky and reckless. We may not know the whole story. And some people may be more focused, more driven, and just plain tougher than the rest of us. Bonus: covers of Kristofferson and…
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Continue reading →: Pop Tarts Don’t Count: Cooking, Cerebella, and CognitionJapanese researchers have found that people who cook at home have a significantly lower risk of dementia. And the benefits are much larger for those — like me — who don’t really know how to cook. So I’m going to give this cooking thing a try. Bonus: a Filipino acoustic cover of Abba. Paul Lynde…
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Continue reading →: Duct Tape and a Paint Stirrer: DIY Hacks for Common Parkinson’s Dilemmas. When you’re dealing with new limitations, there are many fine products on the market to help you adapt. But sometimes you can’t find a solution for sale — and you have to fashion your own homemade remedy. .
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Continue reading →: The Anchovy Pizza I Didn’t Eat, and What I Did About It. As we get older, we may become (or think we’re becoming) more forgetful. Parkinson’s raises the stakes. After an infuriating mental lapse, I’ve taken some steps to do a better job remembering stuff. Details in the blog post — evaluation of results is ongoing. Bonus: a tennis-playing robot and a deeply weird cover of…
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Continue reading →: Protecting Your Privacy With Dr. AIEvery day, millions of people upload personal medical information into ChatCPT, Claude, Gemini, and other AI chatbots. If you’ve done this, what happens to your data? Here’s a summary of what’s at risk, along with some steps you can take to protect yourself. Also, the story of a delivery guy who prayed for me after…
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Continue reading →: Ping Pong For Parkinson’s in NE Portland on Wednesdays — It’s Live!If you’ve got Parkinson’s and are looking for a ping pong game in Northeast Portland, we’ve got you covered. Every Wednesday from 10am to noon, we’re playing at Fremont United Methodist Church, 2620 NE Fremont Street in Portland. And it’s free, which is a very good price for table tennis. For more info, email me…
Hello,
I’m Phil Bernstein
I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease on May 25, 2023. At the time, I was only vaguely aware of Parkinson’s — primarily from articles in People about Michael J. Fox. And I didn’t know anyone with the disease.
Now, I know a lot more about the illness, and I’ve joined the Parkinson’s community in my hometown of Portland, Oregon.
I’ve found that writing helps me think through challenges, and this illness definitely qualifies as a challenge. I’ve started Shakin’ Street to help me think through the various obstacles, tools, and resources that a newly-diagnosed Parkinson’s patient encounters along the way.
I hope some of these posts help you address and tackle your own challenges.
Shakin' Street -- A Parkinson's Blog 