Our meetings are held the first Wednesday of each month from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. (Note this year, our October meeting will be held on the 2nd Wednesday, October 12th, as the organization who so generously provides us meeting space has an event scheduled on the first Wednesday). We do not meet during the summer months of July and August.
Our intention is to meet in person, beginning with our September 2022 meeting. We are also looking into a hybrid format, a combination live and Zoom meeting, to try to accommodate everyone’s circumstances and needs. In order to preserve the privacy and confidentiality of our group, any Zoom option will be real-time only and not available once the meeting has ended.
Your patience and flexibility are so appreciated as we continue to monitor for updates and concerns regarding COVID variants, vaccinations and boosters, as well as masking and other measures. We will follow all requests and requirements of our meeting location and ask that anyone attending in-person be fully vaccinated and not attend if feeling ill.
At our June 1 (2022) meeting, we spent a bit of time discussing how the Women With Parkinson’s Disease support group can best support you, especially when it comes to Guest Speakers or Just-Us Share Time themed meetings. The consensus is we come for the people, to learn from and support each other’s real life experiences, and to connect with one another. This preference for more us and less guest speakers, along with suggested discussion topics, is reflected in our meeting schedule below. Reminders will be emailed and posted prior to each meeting.
September 7: Just-Us Share Time. Welcome back! A time to reunite as a group, welcome new members, and share with each other. We will be talking about fear and whatever else is on our minds.
October 12: Guest Speaker. Alec Langstein, owner/operator of Rock Steady Boxing locations in Tysons and Sterling, will talk about The Who, What, Where, Why, and When of Rock Steady Boxing and How it Benefits Women With PD. Alec’s offerings include in-home personal training, women-only classes taught by a female coach, and a virtual workout video library categorized by levels, symptoms, and class lengths. More information at http://nova.rsbaffiliate.com and Rocksteadynova.com and MyParkinsonsGym.com or contact Alec Langstein at 571-730-8553.
November 2: Just-Us Share Time. We will be talking about self-commitment, self-discipline, and self-motivation. What works? What doesn’t? What do you do when best laid plans go awry?
December 7: Just-Us Share Time. The holiday season is upon us. Full of family and friends; fun and excitement; joy and hope; exhaustion and anxiety. What does your celebration look like? We will be talking about our thoughts and feelings as we anticipate the upcoming holidays.
January 4: Guest Speakers. Mary Beth Crosson and Joann McCarty, founder and co-founder of Independent You, will talk about the high-quality, client-centered, affordable home care and care management services they provide to people in the comfort and safety of their own homes.
February 1: Guest Speaker. Dr. Randolph Stephenson, Neurologist at the Neurology Center of Fairfax, will join us for a Q & A. Dr. Stephenson comes highly recommended by many of our members who are his patients. He is a good listener and provides thorough, knowledgable, and comprehensible responses. Bring all your questions with you!
March 1: Just-Us Share Time. Life happens–with and without Parkinson’s. Our skin wrinkles, our bodies ache, we forget things. What have you noticed? How do you differentiate between changes that are a part of “normal” aging and those related to Parkinson’s? How do you view aging?
April 5: Just-Us Share Time. We will be talking about gratitude. Does counting your blessings help you roll with the punches? What gets you through a rough day? What are you grateful for?
May 3: Just-Us Share Time. Show and Tell day. What makes you happy? What do you feel passionate about? What hobby or leisure activity do you engage with on a regular basis? Everyone is encouraged to bring a prop as an example of their happy place.
June 7: Just-Us Share Time. Time for our annual review. On a personal level, what have you learned this past year that you would like to share with the group? On a group level, what worked for you? What would you like to see stay the same and what would you like to see changed?