My project is COMPLETE!

I'm really pleased with the outcome of my report and I believe my argument about Parkinson's treatments turned out to be well corroborated but also interesting because it was unexpected that general management was the most effective form of treatment compared to drug medication and surgery. The poster that I showed in my presentation and explained what and why I displayed specific information made my presentation more appealing to the audience.

Keeping a record...

Here I kept a clear record of the notes I took from all the sessions I had with my supervisor. This has helped me to stay firmly on track throughout the project, as I kept referring to these notes in case I forgot anything important to do. It has also helped me to manage my time efficiently.

Appointment date	Queries	Outcome (From notes)
15/11/2011	- Not sure about topic choice and what I could do for the project - How long do I have to decide on a topic?	The topic can be about anything that I’m interested in. Maybe doing some research can help me decide. It will also be useful to choose a topic related to my studies and future studies in university. I could either produce an artefact and a small report plus presentation or a report (5000 words) and a presentation.
17/11/2011	- I want to talk about neurodegeneration and it’s disorders: Parkinson’s, Huntington’s and ALS. Is this an appropriate topic choice and how do I structure my title?	- Yes I could write about the different neurodegenerative conditions and how Neurodegeneration affects the brain. -Title: Neurodegeneration, impact and prognosis: An investigation into the effects of neurodegenerative conditions on the brain and what treatment is available.
24/11/2011	-Can I post new information I find on my blog and what sort of things do I need to include? - How often do I need to post a comment?	- Remember to update my blog regularly, at least twice a week - Post a comment called ‘bibliography’ with the references for all the sources I use. - I could write about the new information I find but I need to reference it. - I could also post my title and initial ideas.
27/11/2011	- I don’t think it’s going to be easy comparing 3 neurodegenerative diseases. I’m not sure what I can do. - I also don’t know what my focus point is.	- I could work on 1 neurodegenerative disease such as Parkinson’s and compare the treatments available. - So my focus point will be comparing the treatments for PD and as a conclusion finding the most effective form of treatment.
1/12/2011	- I want write a bit about research projects for PD how could I incorporate this in my report? - Also I’d like to write about possible future treatments for PD, such as stem cell therapy as they could become a potential cure for PD.	- Use the information obtained from research projects to support my argument on the different type of treatments available for PD. - Also what research projects are doing for future treatments e.g. gene therapy. This could be a cure once researchers find ways to unlock the other barriers that prevent the complete success of alleviating PD symptoms.
03/12/2011	Show my work so far and ask for advice.	- Advised me to keep a record of my progress.
17/12/2011	Ask what I could do to improve report	- Find information from a variety of sources e.g. books, articles, magazines, news, internet, blogs etc.
01/01/2012	- What is the presentation based upon? - Is there a specific layout/structure the presentation needs to be in?	- Don’t worry about the presentation at this stage. First complete the report. - The presentation is based upon the planning of the project and evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of my learning etc.
16/01/2012	- Still confused about my focus point such as how I am supposed to structure my argument. So I’ll show an example to my supervisor	- She approved of the example I wrote Which is to back my ideas with evidence from research projects.
18/01/12	- How am I supposed to structure my references?	-  My supervisor gave me a short guide on using the Harvard Referencing System. It has examples on how to reference different sources.
20/01/12	Ask for any handouts that could help me with planning.	- She gave me a layout plan for the presentation.
28/01/12	- What to include for report introduction.	- Describe my choice of title and explain how I developed my ideas (I also have to change my title since I changed my focus point)
07/02/12	- Check my report introduction with my supervisor	- Start with a rationale and include why I have chosen to focus on Parkinson's and use secondary research rather than primary. Also write why I felt research into research projects about Parkinson's is important.
15/02/12	- Showed the sources I used and how I referenced them	- References are good, but I could still find more information from different sources other than internet and books to show a deeper understanding of the issues around Parkinson’s disease and it’s treatments.
08/03/12	- Check my completed report to make final adjustments	- I could asses the references I used - Reduce the words to 5000 - Add page numbers. - Write an abstract, 150 words long - Add an appendix page and move the drug table to that page. Also add a record of the Google calendar I used for planning and a copy of my blog.
11/03/12	- Should I make a poster about PD?	-Yes. But include interesting and informative information about PD.

New ideas for my poster

I asked my supervisor if I should make a poster on Parkinson's disease and show it in my presentation. I wasn't sure if it would be relevant to my presentation but she thought that it would be good idea.
So far I know I want to include a diagram of how the brain is affected in PD. But I also want to add some interesting and informative facts that the audience can remember.

PD words in alphabetical order

I found this alphabetical list of Parkinson's related words that sort of help me remember the key characteristics of the disease. This list is from someones blog who actually suffers from Parkinson's disease. She talks about her disease but also informs us about any progress in Parkinson's disease research; explaining any experiments that have been carried out...(http://katekelsall.typepad.com/my_weblog/parkinsons_diagnosis/)

A-Anxiety, autonomic dysfunction, akinesia (loss of physical movement), apathy, anosmia (loss of sense of smell)
B-Bradykinesia, balance problems
C-Cognitive problems, constipation, choking
D-Depression, dementia, dysphagia (swallowing problems), driving difficulties, drooling, dystonia, denial, dyskinesia, delusions, death
E-Emotional lability, eating disorders
F-Fatigue, fidgeting, falling, freezing, finger motor problems, facial mask (hypomimia), foot cramps
G-Gait disturbance, gross motor problems
H-Hallucinations, hypotension (low blood pressure)
I-Impulsive dyscontrol disorders (pathologic gambling, compulsive eating, hypersexuality, compulsive spending), impotence
J-Jaw problems
K-Kinesia disorders (too much or too little movement)
L-Lethargy, loss of libido
M-Memory impairment, motor function abnormalities, micrographia (reduced size of handwriting)
N-Numbness, nausea, nightmares
O-Olfactory dysfunction (decreased ability to smell), on-off fluctuations
P-Psychiatric problems, psychosis, pain, panic attacks, pneumonia, postural instability
Q-Queasiness
R-Restless leg syndrome, REM behavior disorder, rigidity, reduced arm swing
S-Sleep disturbances (including sleep apnea, excessive daytime sleepiness, sudden sleep attacks), sexual dysfunction, sensory disturbances, seborrheic dermatitis (dandruff), sweating excessively, swallowing problems, shuffling, slowness, stooped posture, stiffness, social anxiety
T-Tremor, toe cramping
U-Urinary disturbances (including frequency, urgency, and incontinence)
V-Voice and speech problems (hoarse, monotone, imprecise articulation, slurred speech, low volume or hypophonia, voice tremor), visual problems, vomiting, vivid dreams
W-Weight changes, weakness
X-Xenophobia
Y-Yin, yang, yoga
Z-Zombie

Advice on presentation

I had discussion with my supervisor about the presentation. She advised me to write an evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of my planning and a  detailed evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of my own learning. 

Ideas for the poster

I found this site that will help me with my poster (http://www.michaeljfox.org/living.cfm#) It has a short animated video that shows how the brain is affected in PD. Im also going to print images of the different features of the brain that are involved in Parkinson's and explain their functions and how they're affected.
The title for the poster will be: How is the brain affected in Parkinson's disease.

Planning for my presentation

Im using google calendar to set myself deadlines for the presentation. I've decided to make a poster, showing what happens in the brain of a person with Parkinson's.