Parkinson Social NetworkThe Staircase Illusion
No, it’s not a magic trick. The photo above is of a design solution for people with Parkinson’s to help them walk better. Click here to watch the TEDx video. More information on their website at http://staircaseillusion.weebly.com/. Thank you Jim for sharing this with us!
News from Insight Memory Care Center (IMCC)
Caregiving at a Glance
Caregiving at a Glance is IMCC’s fingertip guide for families caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s. Techniques and strategies to empower caregivers address topics such as: troublesome behaviors, communication, eating, bathing and more. The new updated 5th edition is now available. Click here for details!
Insight’s 8th Annual Paintings and Pairings event
Save the Date! Thursday, October 17, 2019
www.insightmcc.org/paintings
Sentimental Journey Singers
Beginning Monday, September 9 from 9:30 to 11:00 am
At: Insight Memory Care Center
3953 Pender Drive, Suite 100, Fairfax
A chorus for those diagnosed with early or beginning moderate Alzheimer’s and other memory impairments. Encore hopes to see all interested individuals at the
Sentimental Journey Singers Open House
on Monday, July 15 from 9:30 to 11:00 am.
Please call the Encore office at 301-261-5747 to reserve space for the singer and care partner.
Click here for more information!
Fairfax County Community Resources for Older Adults 101
Thursday, June 6, 2019 | 7:00 to 8:30 pm
At: Chesterbrook Residences
2030 Westmoreland Street, Falls Church, VA 22043
Special Guest Speaker: Karen Hannigan, LCSW, supervisor at Fairfax County Services for Older Adults in the Adult and Aging, Disability and Caregiver Resources Unit, will discuss helpful county resources. She has over 25 years of experience working with older adults in various county governments, including as an Adult Services worker and Adult Protective Services Investigator. Many services are available right here in our area. Learn more about what is available and who to call for help, including: Commonwealth Coordinated Care Program, Respite Program, ElderLink and more. You are not alone!
JSSA monthly caregiver support group special event.
RSVP appreciated: Rita Evrony, LCSW 703-896-7910 or revrony@jssa.org
Nutrition update
I’ve updated our website page on Nutrition (click here) with Part 3 of the APDA series I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, and a new guide on Diet and Parkinson’s by the Michael J Fox Foundation.
Every Victory Counts Manual
Published by the Davis Phinney Foundation for Parkinson’s, Every Victory Counts is written by leading movement disorder specialists, Monique Giroux, MD and Sierra Farris, PA-C, MPAS, and a wide range of additional experts in Parkinson’s wellness from respected institutions in the US, Canada and Europe. This comprehensive resource gives you the tools and the confidence to take control and start living well today. Click here to learn how you can order your copy.
Cafe Fairfax – May 15
We had a busy time this month with 3 visitors! Grace Lynch and Jim Person talked about podcasts, referring to Grace’s excellent PowerPoint. I’ve created a new page under Resources on our website for podcasts and webinars (click here) where you can see a list of podcasts that we’re compiling, and also download Grace’s PowerPoint. If you tune into podcasts about Parkinson’s please share them by sending your favorites to Sonia@ParkinsonSocialNetwork.org.
Hope to see you Out & About soon! Will we see you at Cafe Alexandria (today) or Cafe Ashburn on Wednesday?
Cheers,
Sonia
email: Sonia@ParkinsonSocialNetwork.org
Understanding and Patience
I hope this doesn’t sound like a lecture and you’re wondering what prompted this? But when I read it, I thought of our friends living with Parkinson’s and how they’ve talked about how frustrating interactions with some people can be. I came across this graphic thanks to a post on Facebook by the Cerebral Palsy Society of New Zealand, but I felt that it applies to people living with Parkinson’s, too.
Sometimes our friends can be slow to respond and are considered non-verbal. Sometimes their facial expressions don’t show how they are feeling the way they used to.
People living with Parkinson’s still think, hear, understand and feel. To this message of “Let’s practice non ignorance” I would add “Let’s practice patience”.
The young lady who shared the above graphic is a speech language pathologist who also lives with Crohn’s disease. She has often shared posts about how frustrating it can be when people don’t believe she’s ill because she doesn’t look like she is. I know this happens with people living with Parkinson’s, too, particularly with young onset. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard someone say, “He/She doesn’t look like they have Parkinson’s!”
Which brings me to an article I read this week through Parkinson’s Life out of Europe – “There’s a stigma that if you don’t ‘look sick’ then there is nothing wrong”. I imagine quite a few of our readers can relate to what the author has to say.
** The author mentions that she started a Facebook group called StrongHer: Women Fighting Parkinson’s. There are over 1,100 women worldwide in this community of support.
Here’s an event that looks like fun and features the chef from Brandywine Assisted Living – our hosts for Cafe Alexandria.
Senior Health & Fitness Fair – Alexandria
Wednesday, May 29, 9:30 am – 12 Noon,
At: The Lee Center,
1108 Jefferson Street, Alexandria
This annual Health and Fitness Fair is sponsored by the City’s Successful Aging Committee and will feature a discussion from Inova Alexandria Hospital about how to maintain a healthy weight as we age, and good nutrition tips. Breakout sessions follow with a cooking demonstration from Brandywine Assisted Living’s chef; healthy screening for blood pressure and glaucoma as well as fitness programs including tai-chi. This popular event is a lot of fun. It is free with light refreshments. RSVP online at senior health fair or call 703-836-4414, ext. 110. Click here for their event flyer.
Cafe Fairfax is really hopping this week!
Grace Lynch from Fairfax County has been so helpful in getting the word out about our Parkinson Social Network and our events. She will be visiting us with Jim Person to help us understand how we can access the many podcasts and webinars that we can use to learn about all kinds of things from the comfort of our homes. We will also be visited by Mike Harrigan and participate in brain and body activities.
Hope to see you Out & About soon! Will we see you at Cafe Fairfax?
Cheers,
Sonia
email: Sonia@ParkinsonSocialNetwork.org
Parkinson Social Network 