136: Living with Young-Onset Parkinson's Disease: Interview with Allan Cole, PhD

Episode 136: In today's Social Work Podcast, we speak with Allan Cole about his experiences with Young-Onset Parkinson's Disease. Parkinson's Disease affects nearly 1 million people in the United States and more than 6 million people worldwide. It is a a progressive neurological disorder that primarily affects movement. I spoke with Allan Cole, a person who lives with Young-Onset Parkinson's Disease. He also serves as the Dean of the Steve Hicks School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Austin. And, as you'll hear in today’s episode, Allan's personal and professional journey is one of vulnerability and profound empathy, qualities that resonate deeply within the social work community. In today's episode, Allan shares his personal journey with Young-Onset Parkinson's Disease, acknowledging diversity of experiences people have with Parkinson's. We explore the emotional landscape of receiving a Parkinson's diagnosis, the misconceptions surrounding the disease, the difference between disease and illness, living well with Parkinson's, the need for more research and awareness, what social workers should know about working with people with Parkinson's Disease, and the importance of empathy and support in navigating its challenges. I appreciated how Allan spoke about his journey in the context of his many privileges, acknowledging that his ability to be vulnerable was a manifestation of his privilege. You can read a transcript of today's interview at You can connect with other social workers at the Social Work Podcast Facebook page at or follow the Twitter feed at

You can listen to 136: Living with Young-Onset Parkinson's Disease: Interview with Allan Cole, PhD online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

136: Living with Young-Onset Parkinson's Disease: Interview with Allan Cole, PhD is an episode from The Social Work Podcast by Jonathan B. Singer, Ph.D., LCSW.

This episode is 46:05 long.

This episode was published on May 1, 2024.

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