St. Joseph’s/Candler service helps our movement disorders patients have a better quality of life

Are you a movement disorders patient of Dr. Jill Trumble, Dr. Ryon Poston or Dr. Jonas Vanags? Are you or a loved one living in the area with a movement disorder such as Parkinson’s disease or Essential Tremor? Then there’s someone you may not know about but should certainly talk to.

Her name is Barbara Moss-Hogan. She’s the St. Joseph’s/Candler outpatient social worker for our Movement Disorders Program. She can help movement disorders patients in a variety of ways to improve quality of life – and her service comes at no additional cost.

“I really see myself as a bridge between doctors, patients and families to help them navigate and move through their personal health journeys,” Moss-Hogan says. “A lot of times it’s just listening to a family who is so overwhelmed. It’s a lot of emotional support that I can give them and help them. I also love going out into the community and meeting with people and getting to know different organizations and agencies to learn how I can best support our patients and families. That’s really important also.”

A movement disorder is defined as a group of neurological conditions causing involuntary or abnormal movement. Examples of movement disorders can include Parkinson’s disease, restless leg syndrome, Tourette’s Syndrome, Essential Tremor, Huntington’s disease and other related neurological disorders.

Related Article: Six common movement disorders

Moss-Hogan works with movement disorders patients and their family members to address any concerns or struggles they may have, whether that’s physically, mentally or socially. She can refer you to other community services to help address financial needs or legal needs, for example. Maybe you need to hire a CNA who knows how to use a Hoyer lift, she can help with that too.

Moss-Hogan also attends area movement disorders support groups to connect with patients and families and works with local businesses that may be able to assist movement disorders patients.

“I like to tell people, if you don’t ask for help, then you are not taking care of yourself. And, if you are not taking care of yourself, how can you take care of anyone else?” Moss-Hogan says. “I like to believe I’m really someone you can be comfortable to talk with. I like to say it’s like having coffee with an old friend. There’s no judgement. Your story is your story, and I want to hear it. If it takes an hour, it takes an hour. That’s what I’m here for.”

If you are or a loved one have a movement disorder and would like to speak to or meet with Moss-Hogan, you can call her at 470-705-5969 or email her at mosshogb@sjchs.org.

“I want everyone to know there is help out there and they are not alone in this,” Moss-Hogan says. “There are support groups and different individuals within the system that can help. It’s my job to try to match the resource most appropriate to the needs of the patient and the family.”

How this service came to be

Barbara Moss-Hogan is able to offer the myriad of social services that movement disorders patients require through the generous donations of corporations and individuals. St. Joseph’s/Candler Foundations, with leading gifts from Colonial Foundation, Inc. and Sterling Seacrest Partners, started raising money for the Movement Disorders Program several years ago.

If you’d like to donate to the St. Joseph’s/Candler Foundations directed towards the Movement Disorders Program, you can do so here.