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.
How To Open Up In A Group Setting
If youre new to talking in a support group, you may feel a little uncertain. Thats totally normal, as any experienced support group member can tell you.
First, contact the facilitator and ask about the group. Try to learn as much as you can about the group culture and what will be expected of you. Some groups will assign you an informal buddy to help get you acclimated to the group, so you might ask the moderator about that possibility.
Then when you get to your first meeting, consider these strategies to help you get integrated and begin sharing:
Sharon Had Gone To A Support Group But Decided That Though She Was Normally Quite Sociable This
…and probably most importantly I have access to the occupational health counsellor, and when I started I thought that, a couple of sessions, on we be, wed be through. And what I have found is that the counselling sessions have been really, really helpful, I found them very, very difficult because we have talked a lot about my loss. So he has identified that I have had to deal with a lot of loss and therefore its made me dealing with, diagnosis and adjustment more difficult because I havent actually dealt with anything else so we, we do, you know, have to discuss things I dont want to talk about which is relationship with my, husband, relationship with my, family, how I felt about my sister dying, how I feel about, the people I work with, and it, it can be quite harrowing but, but it, but its been very useful because its meant that Ive been able to say what Ive thought I needed to say which perhaps I cant say to other people, and thats been very therapeutic.
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Best Way To Find A Local Support Group
You might also try looking for a support group thats close to home so its easy for you to get involved. Search the PMD Alliances online database of support groups divided by state. You could also ask your doctor for recommendations.
Although every support group for people with Parkinsons disease is designed to help you find the support you need to keep on living your life, every support group is also unique.
Volunteer In Your Community
Support groups at PRO are coordinated by a volunteer facilitator, or group of co-facilitators, who usually have personal experience and knowledge of Parkinsons disease.
Facilitators receive special one-on-one orientation, administrative support, as well as ongoing training opportunities to ensure the best possible environment for the group. If you live in a community that does not have a local support group listed, please call Jess to discuss ways to get one started! 800-426-6806
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Penny Diagnosed When She Was 51 Did Not Feel Ready To See How Parkinson’s 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.
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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Support Groups And Events
The Duke Movement Disorders Center is proud to participate in a variety of events to support and educate individuals with Parkinson’s and their care partners, including regular support groups, introductory programs to provide basic information on Parkinson’s, workshops for couples, and monthly singing and communications workshops. Click on the choices below to learn more about each of our upcoming programs.
For more information on any of our groups or programs, or to RSVP for a zoom link, please contact Lacy Rardin Sledge, LCSW, or Anne Kosem, LCSW .
Parkinson’s Support GroupsPatients diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, as well as their care partners, are welcome to attend the Durham Parkinson’s Disease Support Group, held from 10:30 a.m. to noon on the fourth Tuesday of every month. This free support group, sponsored by the Parkinson Foundation, is open to all . Our Support Group is scheduled to meet on the following dates in 2022:
-Enhancing Resilience video by Bryan Sexton, PhD and Carrie Adair, PhD
Small Group Discussions
Ask the Doc with Dr. Nicole Calakos
Duke Movement Disorders Division Chief
Small Group Discussions
Mental Health and PD
No Meeting
Due to the ongoing pandemic, all support groups are now being held online. We hope that you can join us from your living room or other safe location. For more information, or to join, contact Allison Allen, LCSW, at 919-681-2656, or .
Our Parkinson’s Disease Support Groups are now being held virtually .
Columbia Parkinson’s Support Group
the overseer in charge of special education at canadas outside school board said she recognizes those concerns. It is possible to live well with parkinsons. Thats why we meet on a regular basis with columbia parkinsons support group to put up resources, lectures and last info most the disease and its treatments. Merkels actions shared common market and led to a surge in anti-immigrant persuasion. , involving assignment incongruent stroop language, had a derived function effect on the lbp group as indicated by the important group by condition fundamental interaction for the variableness of relative stage.
Parkinson’s Support Group MichiganOt practitioners help disabled children full take part in school activities, they help injured people convalesce skills and…
Parkinson’s Support Group Bay AreaTheres still some work for researchers to do in front theyll have it off how much help nigh people
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Parkinsons Movement Disorder And Alliance
Key Specs
- Membership fee: Free
- Structure:In-person support groups, virtual Zoom support groups, chat forums/message boards
- Details: Offers both in-person and virtual support groups, educational videos and resources, and support is available for care partners
- Things to do: A survey needs to be completed first before you can participate in the online community
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 features 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.
There are 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.
Support And Support Groups
Most people told us that when they were diagnosed they had little or no experience of Parkinsons disease and did not actually know anyone who had it. Although most people had been informed about the Parkinsons UK and many had contacted the society and obtained useful information, some of them held back from taking things further by joining a Parkinsons disease support group. Most explained their reluctance like Jean did: I dont want to see round the next corner what might be happening to me, Id rather I didnt know.
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Elisabet Was Shocked To See People Who Had Become Dependent On Someone Else And Preferred To
When I was first diagnosed, I, I knew nothing, I, I had seen one person with Parkinsons and that was a long time ago when I was a child. So I knew nothing about the disease. I read a little bit and I became a member of the local Parkinsons Association. And I went to a couple of their meetings and what I saw there made me very depressed because people, I had mainly tremor and the people I saw there had, you know this, dyskinesia. I had a little bit of that but there were people with large involuntary movements and with rigidity, stiffness, they froze. And I have mainly the tremor which was in a way bad enough but also very lucky because my movements, my moving about was in no way hampered. So I stopped going to the meetings of the association although Im an organising person, I, I felt that was too much. That was too depressing to see how that many people were, and also there were men with very helpful spouses and I thought Oh my God to become so dependent on someone else. Thats heavy. So my feelings of acceptance was simply maybe the denial in another form.
What To Expect From A Support Group
Some in-person groups are small, others are large. Some groups meet during the day, while others gather in the evening or even on the weekend. Some in-person groups meet in a community-based setting, like a YMCA, a library, or a church basement, while others may hold meetings in a hospital conference room, a clinic, or a rehabilitation center.
Meanwhile, online support groups also vary in size and in demographics. Some groups have been around a long time, with members who have formed friendships over the years, while others may be relatively new groups with people who are still getting to know each other.
One thing all support groups have in common in this: They want to help people affected by Parkinsons disease.
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Nicolas Made Some Contacts Through The Pds And Feels That You Can Learn More From Other People
From the PDS website, I managed to get in touch with a PDS branch and the nurse practitioner, which was very useful. So by making a few phone calls, I got some confidence with a few people in a similar position. I went along to the branch meeting. Met one or two other younger people in a similar situation and from there we formed a good social grouping and a contact group, which is very helpful in exchanging information on medication and other features and factors of the disease. And you find that there are many more people than you imagine who have got Parkinsons disease. So recommend the support of the local branch.
Parkinsons disease affects a lot of people in a lot of different ways, and its interesting to find out what range of knowledge there is. For example, I wasnt initially put on medication and lots of people were talking about medication and I thought, I didnt quite understand what was going on. Now Im on medication, I take more interest in that sort of thing. But a lot of that is the experiences of the people around the patch. Nurse practitioners quite helpful, but I found the best source of information are other people with Parkinsons disease.
bit of a hermit
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 Parkinson’s 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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Parkinson’s Support Group Topics
80 a share for this yr. Some of the topics discussed in parkinsons disease support groups let in:. Paraquat is prohibited in eec not only because of its extremely deadly nature but as well because its coupled to parkinsons disease. approach: general tangible therapy, exercise, tread-wheel, cuing, dance, and martial humanistic discipline trials: 5 participants: n=202 .
Kevin Resisted Joining The Local Group Because He Thought It Would Be Full Of Old People He
I went down to London to Parkinsons Disease Society headquarters in Victoria about six, nine months ago because theres like, theres was a, there was a research establishment in there giving a lecture on stem cell research. And when I was down there, I met a few young people, and some of those young people hadnt joined their local Parkinsons Society because there were basically, mostly older people. Theyd like to join the society if it was for, you know, a young persons society, which Id like to do. But theres not one about. But having said that, the society here in is really good, very good.
Before the first time you went to that, how did you feel about going to it beforehand?
I felt that it wasnt for me, its for older people. I had this vision of people in their, all being in wheelchairs, I was nicely surprised that I had trouble spotting in the room who were the carers and who had symptoms because theyre all on drugs, apart from one or two people in wheelchairs shaking away. I never envisaged that I would go back again but Ive been going every since. I think its a really, really good idea.
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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.
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Starting A Support Group
Some tips to help you start your own support group:
Choose the group’s target audience.Is it just for people with Parkinson’s, or are care partners and family members invited as well? If you live in a larger city, you can consider gearing the meeting toward a more specific group, such as people with young-onset Parkinson’s disease.Churches, community centers, libraries and other spaces with meeting rooms are great choices. Because members may want to share personal stories, more public spaces like coffee shops and restaurants may not be ideal. You can also decide if your group should meet monthly, twice a month or even weekly.
Figure out a format for the meetings. Will there be one “leader” who facilitates discussions or will members take turns hosting the meeting? From time to time, try to schedule guest speakers such as area neurologists and allied care professionals, like physical therapists and nutritionists. If there are exercise groups for people with Parkinson’s in your area, invite them to give a demonstration and share their services. Of course, leave plenty of time for simply chatting about life with Parkinson’s disease, too.
Spread the word. Ask your doctor if you can share flyers in the office, and let your local hospitals know about the group, too. Bring flyers to libraries, coffee shops and other community spaces. If you’re tech-savvy, start a Facebook group or page, or make a basic website. These are also good ways to keep in touch with members.
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