Parkinson Social Network

Sonia speaking to Ashburn support group

This week, Ruth Ann and I spoke to the Ashburn support group. Our topic was Prepare For Your Care: How to Go Home From Hospital in Better Shape Than When You Went In. We stressed the importance of being prepared and this means everyone – caregivers and Parkinson people. We also talked about how important it is to be treated not just as a patient, but as a patient with Parkinson’s, how to get your Parkinson medications on time, and how to educate medical professionals about what you need. Alexandra from Old Dominion Home Care also joined us to share her perspective as someone who is advising staff at hospitals on how they can best care for our friends living with Parkinson’s. Finally, we sent people home with our new Parkinson Social Network PARKit (Parkinson’s Awareness Resource Kit). There’s an electronic version of most of the items in our PARKit on our website. Click here to view and download.

If you’d like us to give a presentation to your support group, please contact me at Sonia@ParkinsonSocialNetwork.org.

Also at the Ashburn support group we talked about when it might be helpful to work with a home care company both in the hospital and at home. The Guide to Retirement Living Sourcebook is a great resource that lists the various companies in the greater DC area that provide home care, residential care, and other services for older adults. It is updated three times a year and it’s free! While I had a few with me to share, I didn’t have enough to go around. I’ll have some more to distribute at our cafes this month, but in the meantime, if you’d like to check it out, you can click here to order it online (for a hard copy to be mailed to your home) or click here to browse the Sourcebook online.

Women with Parkinson’s in Northern Virginia
Did you know that there is a support group for women living with Parkinson’s? It’s the only one of it’s kind in Northern Virginia. Karl, Angela and I visited the group for their first meeting this year. Kudos to Lu for starting this group in 2014, and making it possible for women with PD to come together in a safe and supportive environment. For more information you can contact Lu at womenwithpd@gmail.com or check out their website at https://womenwithparkinsons.com/.

Webinars
I have information about some webinars below for you. One of the convenient things about webinars is that you can also watch them on your own time as they are generally available on the organization’s website a few days after the live event. In February at Cafe Fairfax we will learn how to access podcasts and webinars, so if you’re not sure what to do, I hope you’ll join us!

From Parkinson Voice Project (PVP)
Optimal Nutrition for Living Well with Parkinson’s
Saturday, January 12th, at 10:30am (CT) 11:30 (EST)
This event will be streamed live on the Parkinson Voice Project website and Facebook page. A recording of this lecture will also be available on their website by January 18th.
Lecture Description:
This presentation explains common Parkinson’s changes in the GI tract, how a reduced sense of smell and taste can impact appetite, and prudent choices of over-the-counter nutritional supplements. Scheduling medications for optimal absorption, minimizing swallowing problems, and managing constipation will also be discussed.
Click here for more information about the presentation and speaker, and to register!

From American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA)
Healthy Minds, Addressing Your Mental Health
This webcast is an archive of the live web/teleconference education program that was held on December 18, 2018. To view the webcast click here.
Managing Your Symptoms
Tuesday, January 29, 2019, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM ET
Speaker: David G. Standaert, MD, PhD
To view the webcast click here.

Cafe Fairfax . . .
. . .  is next Wednesday! Lindsey will be talking with us about Music and Memory. After our cafe, I highly recommend that you stay to hear an interesting talk about Normal Aging Versus Dementia at 1:00 pm (part of their Classes for Caregivers series). It’s in the same room where we have our cafe, and you might want to bring some lunch to munch on in between activities. I’ve heard this talk before and found it comforting to learn how the reason we forget things isn’t always because of dementia. We can forget things when we’re inattentive or distracted, too. You’ll find more information on our Cafes page.

Hope to see you out and about again soon! Maybe next Wednesday at Cafe Fairfax?

Cheers,
Sonia
email: Sonia@ParkinsonSocialNetwork.org