Who can give freedom back to a patient with Parkinson’s disease?
A problem-solver like Dr. Kelly Foote.
Dr. Kelly Foote is one of the founders and directors of the UF Health Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration, established in 2002. In 2011, a new facility opened that truly allowed for a very special patient experience. Now an international destination for the treatment of movement disorders, the center offers people the opportunity to see doctors and clinicians from numerous specialties all in one location, and often during a two-day “fast-track” evaluation.
During a “fast-track” evaluation, patients may be seen by neurologists, neuropsychologists, neurosurgeons, psychiatrists, physical and occupational therapists, speech language pathologists, social workers and financial counselors. Each member of the patient’s evaluation team will screen the patient. And, afterward, they convene to review past history, medical imaging studies, video examinations and other examination findings. They use standardized rating scales and discuss risks and benefits, patient goals and expectations.
When a patient qualifies for deep brain stimulation, the entire movement disorders team expands to include experts in research, surgery and nursing. This seamless approach to DBS has led Dr. Foote and his team of specialists to be among the top performers in the world for DBS and DBS research. They have implanted more than 1,500 DBS leads since they began working together, and they typically perform about 250 DBS procedures a year.