Dean Allan Cole addressed the 42nd Annual Conference of the Aging Life Care Association, a nonprofit professional association with more than 2,000 members, in Austin, April 22-25, 2026.
His remarks, entitled “Resilience, Hope and Parkinson’s Disease,” drew upon on his personal experience with Parkinson’s. Dean Cole shared the strategies he has developed for living with chronic illness, and the unexpected gifts that have come with it. Like any unwelcome guest, Parkinson’s has a tendency to act up, intrude and interrupt, Dean Cole said. He also said that it has also “sharpened his capacity to be present,” as well as accept “what today offers” and risk new experiences.
He invited his audience to see vulnerability as a strength: sharing feelings of uncertainty, asking for help, admitting fears and expressing feelings honestly.
“Good things can come from bad things,” Cole said. “Hope and gratitude are inseparable.”