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Parkinson’s Online Support Group

Parkinson Association Of The Carolinas Virtual Support Group

Parkinson’s Disease Support Group

We know in person meetings may not be available in your area and, often times, finding meetings that fit our schedules is difficult, so we are now offering a FREE monthly Virtual Support Group ONLINE!

Our next scheduled meeting will take place on Wednesday, November 3rd at 2:00 P.M.

Join the PAC team Holly Kennedy and Janet Ceraldi to discuss Fall Prevention Considerations for People with Parkinsons Disease.

View Support Group Meetings Map in a full screen map.

Please contact a PAC team member for more information on support groups including contact information and current status at 245-2786.

If you would like to submit your support group for public listing or would like to submit changes to a listed support group, please contact .

Why join a support group?

People who have been through, or are going through, a similar circumstance can do more than sympathize with you they can relate to your situation and keep you from feeling like you are alone. Support group members offer firsthand insight into many aspects of navigating the disease.

For some people, the most difficult step is walking through the door, but most find that once they make the decision, the experience is helpful and supportive. Remember, a support group is not a substitute for medical treatment or professional counseling and it is not a replacement for family and friends.

When do support groups meet?

What can PAC do to help a support group?

Other Places To Find Support

Support groups aren’t for everyone. If they don’t appeal to you, there’s no need to force it. If you were involved in community, religious or hobby-based organizations in your life before Parkinson’s, keep up those ties and friendships. In addition, educating yourself about Parkinson’s, and getting involved with local or national Parkinson’s organizations, can be ways to meet people who share some experiences with you without joining a support group.

Find Support in the Parkinsons Buddy Network

Create connections and find community online in the Parkinsons Buddy Network. Were building an online support system, one buddy at a time.

Yopn Monthly Member Community Gathering

On the fourth Tuesday of each month from 7-8p , Young Onset Parkinsons Network members come together to learn, engage, and support one another. Connect with fellow members, share experiences and insights about living with YOPD, discuss personal challenges as well as potential opportunities, and learn how others thrive beyond diagnosis. This is your safe space a place you can be real with others who understand what youre experiencing.

Must be a YOPN member to participate. Becoming a member is free and fast on the YOPN website for people diagnosed with YOPD and their care partners.

This virtual group is for you if you were diagnosed with PD in your early fifties or younger, or if you are simply young at heart with PD.

  • 2nd Wednesday, 5pm PT

To join email or call 479-6119.

This group is facilitated by Mike and Vanessa Wineman.

  • Last Wednesday, 7:30pm-9pm PT

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Best For Support Group Leaders: Parkinsons Movement Disorder And Alliance

Parkinsons Movement Disorder and Alliance

The Parkinsons Movement Disorder and Alliance is a nonprofit organization that focuses on characteristics like empathy, creativity, resiliency, and shared learning.

It also has a wealth of support and educational services. Aside from online programming and Zoom support groups, this organization also offers various in-person support groups located throughout the country.

Additionally, the organization also offers numerous educational programs like Lunch with Docs, in which individuals can meet with a movement disorder specialist virtually over lunch from the comfort of their own home.

However, what is truly unique about this organization is that it offers free workshops across the country called In Sync for supporting and teaching people interested in developing their skills as a support group leader.

There, people can learn skills and build confidence in designing and leading their own support group for Parkinsons disease or other movement disorders. Leadership experts and healthcare professionals also provide guidance through informational presentations.

Starting A New Peer Support Group

Parkinson

Fight Parkinsons is happy to work with individuals who are interested in starting a new Peer Support Group for people living with Parkinsons.

While Fight Parkinsons is unable to provide financial support or an ongoing facilitator, we are able to support a group through:

  • Regular updates and information from Fight Parkinsons
  • Regular visits from a member of the Fight Parkinsons Health Team
  • Telephone and email assistance
  • A dedicated Peer Support Coordinator whose role it is to liaise with and support you in your role as support group facilitator
  • Peer Support Leader training

To discuss the possibility of setting up a new Peer Support Group in your area:

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Finding The Right Group

If you’re feeling frustrated about life with Parkinson’s disease, being part of a support group can be one of the best ways to reduce stress and connect with others who can relate to your experience. Care partners and family members also benefit from sharing questions and concerns with like-minded others.

Many resources are available to help you find a support group, including your neurologist or physician , local hospitals , community calendars in local newspapers, and websites of national Parkinson’s disease organizations.

Not all support groups are right for everyone, however. For starters, they come in different formats, ranging from large, formal meetings to smaller “living-room” get-togethers. If you don’t like the first group you find, it’s worth looking for one that suits you better. If you can’t find a group you like in your area, consider starting one. If you are unsatisfied with the available options, you’re probably not the only one feeling that way.

Stay Current On Parkinsons News In Canada

With your support, you inspire the kind of action that will make a profound difference in the well-being of Canadians living with Parkinsons. Together, we will continue the global quest for a cure and create a world without Parkinsons.

Charitable Registration Number: 10809 1786 RR0001

Do you have questions about Parkinsons?

From coast to coast to coast, we acknowledge the ancestral and unceded territories of Inuit, Métis, and First Nations Peoples.

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Best For Variety: Parkinsons Foundation

Parkinsons Foundation

The Parkinsons Foundation was formed from the merging of two other foundationsthe National Parkinson Foundation and the Parkinsons Disease Foundationwith the mission being to improve the lives of and ultimately find a cure for people living with PD.

The Parkinsons Foundation has a vast network of free, in-person support groups located throughout the country. Most of them are for anyone living with PD, but some are geared toward a certain audience .

The Parkinsons Foundation also offers a free online support community called PD Conversations. Here, individuals can connect with others living with PD, as well as get their questions answered by PD experts. To focus their interactions, the online community is broken up into discussion groupsnewly diagnosed, symptoms of PD, Spanish-speaking patients, and much more.

The Parkinsons Foundation also offers health and wellness classes and free educational resources through its local networks. The organization also raises awareness and funds through various gatherings, such as its annual fundraising event called the Moving Day Walk.

Groups For Care Partners

Parkinsons Disease Support Group Information

Care partners may also benefit from joining support groups. The Parkinsons Foundation notes that it is important for care partners to remember to care for themselves as well as their loved ones.

Care partner support groups can offer emotional support and practical advice for those caring for someone with Parkinsons disease. A person can ask a doctor about local support groups or search for them online.

Organizations and websites that offer support for care partners include:

  • The APDA: The APDA provides resources and support for care partners as well as people with Parkinsons disease.
  • The Parkinsons Foundation: This organization also provides information for caregivers.
  • The Family Caregiver Alliance: This organization provides services for caregivers and the people who receive their care. FCA CareNav is an online resource for family caregivers.

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How To Find The Right Support Group

There are plenty of places to find Parkinsons caregivers support, both online and offline. You can easily find local meetings by searching for Parkinsons caregiver support group near me on your phone or computer with your Location Services turned on. If you would prefer to talk to someone about your options, you can call the National Parkinsons Foundation helpline on 1-800-4PD-INFO . If youre looking for your local meeting, you can use the APDA Support Group Finder on the American Parkinsons Disease Association website.

The Caregiver Action Network also has a great Care Community for Parkinsons disease caregiver support where you can join forums or start your own posting threads. Again, you may find some online forums and chat rooms more uplifting than others, so take your time to explore all of the options.

If youve tried Parkinsons caregivers support groups before and havent found them helpful, its worth talking to your doctor about talking therapy or one-on-one counseling. Plenty of people experience stress or depression when they care for someone with Parkinsons disease, so its not uncommon. However, its important to look after yourself and find the right Parkinsons disease caregiver support for your situation.

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Keith Admits That Part Of His Interest In Other People With Pd Is To Make Comparisons With His

Well I suppose Ive got used to having it and think, well it hasnt progressed as rapidly as I feared over the last three years. So if theres somebody in the Parkinsons Disease Society branch support group thats had it for twenty years and I can look at her and think, oh well if thats what shes like after twenty years. And other people have had it for a long time dont seem to be quite as bad as you imagined. So in some way youre trying to measure your own progression and the progression over the last three years is not quite as bad as Id feared. So in many ways Im a bit more optimistic than I was.

Okay but seeing other people helps in some ways?

In some ways, yes. Its got pros and cons really. You can see what theyre like but you feel well you want to ask them how long theyve been like that and you really want to be, asking them all the questions about how long theyve had it and what patterns take developed since they were first diagnosed to see if theres any parallel. But as I said before the symptoms are so individualistic that you really cant draw too many conclusions from other peoples experience unlike lots of other diseases.

Because that would be a concern for people wouldnt it?

You couldnt keep me away now. I find them a great help, because youre talking to fellow sufferers, you are comparing notes, you are enjoying yourself because youre amongst people that can sympathise. We get some very good speakers.

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Parkinson’s Virtual Men’s Support Group

With more men than women being diagnosed with Parkinsons every year and the fact that our Womens Group has been very popular, we figured we would use this opportunity to create a Mens “Only” group to address challenges, provide camaraderie and support!

  • 3rd Tuesday, 11am PT

A series of fun, informative, and free webinars just for Women with PD. To maintain privacy for this group, care-partners and family members should not attend unless an event states that registration is open to all. All times are Pacific.

  • Every other Sunday, 10am PT

This group is designed for women living with Parkinsons to have a safe space to share and learn from each other. Any and all women on their Parkinsons journey are welcomed and encouraged to join in!

  • 4th Tuesday, 11am PT

Parkinsons Virtual Mens Support Group

Parkinson

With more men than women being diagnosed with Parkinsons every year and the fact that our Womens Group has been very popular, we figured we would use this opportunity to create a Mens Only group to address challenges, provide camaraderie and support!

  • 3rd Tuesday, 11am PT

A series of fun, informative, and free webinars just for Women with PD. To maintain privacy for this group, care-partners and family members should not attend unless an event states that registration is open to all. All times are Pacific.

  • Every other Sunday, 10am PT

This group is designed for women living with Parkinsons to have a safe space to share and learn from each other. Any and all women on their Parkinsons journey are welcomed and encouraged to join in!

  • 4th Tuesday, 11am PT

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Penny Diagnosed When She Was 51 Did Not Feel Ready To See How Parkinsons Disease Could Affect

I have to admit that Im also concerned whilst Im happy to go onto the web forum and communicate with people whove, with, who have had Parkinsons for twenty years. Im anxious about meeting people in the flesh, I dont want to, I dont want to see my future. My mother had a friend who had Parkinsons so Im sort of familiar with what Parkinsons in old age is like but Im not brave enough to confront what some peoples level of Parkinsons is in people my own age. And I suppose that thats part of me not trying to worry about the future.

Parkinsons Peer Support Groups

A Parkinsons Peer Support Group is a gathering of people whose lives are affected by Parkinsons, who meet regularly in a relaxed, welcoming environment.

Activities generally undertaken by a Peer Support Group include:

  • Sharing information and solutions to common situations
  • Hearing from health care professionals about new developments in Parkinsons medication, treatment options and research
  • Discussing experiences and feelings
  • Taking part in community awareness raising activities
  • Enjoying company and friendship with others in a similar situation

Each peer support group is unique in its membership and style. Most Parkinsons groups meet once a month, however some meet every couple of months, while others meet weekly. Some groups are associated with a local healthcare service, while others are run by dedicated members of the community who may or may not have Parkinsons.

People living with Parkinsons, their carers, friends and family are all welcome.

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Apda In Your Community

The American Parkinson Disease Association nationwide network provides information and referral, education and support programs, health and wellness activities, and events to facilitate a better quality of life for the Parkinsons community. It is this grassroots structure that distinguishes APDA from other organizations serving people with Parkinsons disease.

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Cuidadores Tengamos Una Charla With Roxanna Estrada Mft

Parkinson’s Disease support group

Reunión mensual para cuidadores de PD, en español.

  • 1st viernes, 10-11:30am PT

Haz clic en bit.ly/unidosconpcla para unirte. Contraseña: bailando

Monthly online support group is geared for individuals caring for someone with early to mid-stage Parkinson’s disease, whether you are a spouse, partner, adult child, or friend.

  • 3rd Wednesday, 9am-10:30am PT

Use the above link to register. Following registration you will be provided with the link to log in to the group. Email questions to .

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Parkinson’s Deep Brain Stimulation Support Group

This is a facilitated group intended for DBS recipients and their carepartners, not those researching or awaiting a DBS procedure. Members can expect a safe space to support each other and engage through sharing their experiences, feelings, coping strategies and knowledge about Parkinsons and DBS. Individuals wishing to be in the company of others and only listen are also welcome.

  • 2nd Tuesday, 7-8pm PT

Use the above link to register. Following registration you will be provided with the link to log in to the group. For more information, contact Liz Janze at: 1-800-668-3330 ext. 228 or

Monthly online support group designed for individuals caring for someone with advanced Parkinson’s disease, which can be characterized by complex medical needs and/or changes in cognition that require help in almost all areas of daily life.

  • 4th Thursday, 9am-10:30am PT

Use the above link to register. Following registration you will be provided with the link to log in to the group. Email questions to .

This weekly support group is for all family caregivers to a loved one with Parkinsons. This is an open, conversational group hosted by Charles Schiell, who was a care partner to his father with Parkinsons.

  • Tuesdays, 7:30pm PT

A professionally facilitated support group for all care partners and family members of someone with Parkinson’s Disease.

  • 3rd Monday, 7:30pm-8:30pm PT

If You Are A Discussion Moderator

If youre a moderator or a facilitator for a support group for people with Parkinsons disease, or family members or caregivers for people with Parkinsons disease, you play a very important role in helping the group to be a success. You can start by setting an agenda for each meeting so everyone knows what to expect.

A few other tips for getting the conversation flowing:

  • Start with opening questions that help people to settle in and get comfortable.
  • Make sure everyone knows the ground rules and expectations.
  • Give everyone the opportunity to speak and to be heard.
  • Encourage members to listen when others are speaking.
  • Be respectful if some people choose not to share.
  • Use a handheld microphone in case some people are soft-spoken.
  • Develop some strategies to handle situations in which a few people monopolize discussions.
  • Ask group members to brainstorm topics for future discussions or suggestions for guest speakers.

You also might check out resources from organizations like the Parkinsons Foundation that can help you plan your meetings, encourage participation, and foster the connections that are so vitally important to support group members.

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