One of the special things about our Parkinson Social Network is how much we learn from each other. Most of the announcements about programs, workshops, webinars, etc. that I post are sent to me by friends in our community who hope that the information will be of interest to others. I hear about others at cafes when an attendee shares a story about a service or product that they’ve benefited from. I hope you find these announcements helpful, and continue to pass them on to me so I can share them, but with the understanding that posting them is not an endorsement by Parkinson Social Network.

Exercise
There’s that word again! Apart from helping to reduce your symptoms, improving your posture and balance to prevent falls, and keeping your brain sharp, what’s it good for? So much more, including how it helps us all to feel better when we keep moving. This week information about a couple of Parkinson specific exercise programs landed in my inbox:
1) Parkinson’s Regeneration Training: They are offering a training session in D.C. on March 9 & 10, 2019. Click here for more info.
2)  Daily Dose PD: You can subscribe for custom workouts.

Dance for PD® has released it’s streamed class for this month.
Anyone can join these classes from the comfort of their home! This particular class is taught by Janelle Barry. Click here to view and participate in Janelle’s class. To check out their archive and keep on movin’ to the music click here.

Timing 4 Life
We learned about this at our Cafe Ashburn last week. “Interactive Metronome® technology can aid those who have motor planning and sequencing challenges, speech and language delays, motor and sensory disorders, learning deficits, and various cognitive and physical difficulties.” People with Parkinson’s and senior drivers can benefit from this program. Click here for more information. Thank you Rebecca, for sharing!

The 2019 Parkinson’s Disease Community Seminar
Presented by the Four State Alliance for Parkinson’s Support (4SAPS) and the Otterbein United Methodist Church.
Friday, April 12, 2019 9:00 am – 4:00 pm in Hagerstown MD.
4SAPS Group Members are from: Hagerstown, MD • Frederick, MD (Two Groups) • Cumberland, MD • Mechanicsburg, PA • Gettysburg, PA • New Oxford, PA • Chambersburg, PA • Winchester, VA
Click here to view their flyer for more information. Please share this information with friends and family who live in or near this area.

More nutrition
Click here to check out a video entitled Food for Thought: Diet & Nutrition in PD by Laura Mischley ND PhD MPH. Peggy says, “Dr. Mischley from Bastyr University has been conducting a study on alternative and complementary care in progression of PD. I’ve been participating for about 2 years; they send out a thorough questionnaire and food diary to respond to every 3 months. Her findings (in the video) are interesting and encouraging.” Thank you Peggy, for sharing this information with us!

Free Webinar – Seeing Clearly with PD: Vision Changes
Brought to you by the Parkinson’s Foundation and Alliance of Regional Parkinson Organizations (AIRPO).
Visual changes can impact daily function and quality of life for people living with Parkinson’s. In this webinar, Dr. Daniel R. Gold will share the most common visual changes, explain why these conditions exist and address ways to treat them.
Learn more about vision changes with PD, such as ocular surface irritation, hallucinations and blurry vision, by registering for a free webinar taking place on
Tuesday, March 5, 2019 from 1:00-2:00 p.m. ET.
Speaker: Dan Gold, DO, Assistant Professor of Neurology, Ophthalmology, Neurosurgery, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at The Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Register here to watch online or listen by phone. CEUs available for social workers and healthcare professionals.
For more details, please contact the Parkinson’s Foundation’s Helpline at 1-800-4PD-INFO (473-4636) or helpline@parkinson.org.

If you’re looking for information about vision and Parkinson’s from a local source . . .
Dr. Dresely, a Developmental Optometrist practicing locally in Chantilly, Virginia, will be speaking to the Ashburn support group at their monthly support group meeting on:
Tuesday, February 5, at 1:30 pm at Ashby Ponds.
If you’d like to attend this meeting, please contact Gary Heinberg (703) 303-4446.
You may recall Dr. Dresely spoke to our Fairfax and Ashburn Cafes last year. Click here to read my blog post about his visit to Cafe Fairfax.

The VetAssist® Program
We heard about this program from Ernie last week, and how it helped his family. Veterans Home Care, the company that offers this program can help you determine if you qualify for the VA Aid & Attendance Pension Benefit. They furnish an interest-free loan so you can pay for home care while the VA processes your application. Click here to learn more.

A message from Fairfax County about their Older Adult Community Survey
In February, thousands of randomly selected older adults in the Fairfax area will find yellow post cards in their mailboxes inviting them to participate in a survey. The county has contracted with the National Research Center to conduct the survey, the results of which will be informative in helping to create a more age-friendly community. All responses are anonymous. Please help “spread the word” about the survey. If you hear of anyone receiving a post card, please encourage them to participate in the survey that will be mailed to them in a couple of weeks after receiving the post card. For more information, click here.

Save the date for Cafe Fairfax! – Wednesday, February 20
Grace Lynch, Manager, Communications and Community Outreach, Division of Adult and Aging Services for Fairfax County, will be visiting us and helping us figure out what to do in order to listen to podcasts and watch webinars. Grace will be joined by Jim Person, the host for the Fairfax 50+ podcasts. You may remember that Carol and I joined him for a chat last October. Jim will talk with us about the history of podcasting and share his thoughts on where it is going as a media channel.

Many of our friends in our Parkinson’s community find it difficult to get out and about as much as they would like. Podcasts and webinars are a way for them to stay informed. I hope you can join us this month as we learn from Grace and Jim. I’m excited, and looking forward to it!

Hope to see you out and about again soon!

Cheers,
Sonia
email: Sonia@ParkinsonSocialNetwork.org