Author: womenwithparkinsons

Many of us have worked with physical therapists to improve our strength, balance, coordination, and movements, as well as speech therapists to address soft voice, swallowing and communication issues. Some of us have also participated in the LSVT BIG and LSVT LOUD programs, developed specifically for Parkinson’s. What about Occupational Therapy, often referred to as OT. Where does […]

We are all too familiar with the major motor symptoms of Parkinson’s, the ones that affect our physical movement and function: bradykinesia (slow movements), resting tremor, muscle rigidity, and posture and balance issues. These symptoms are what originally drove most of us to seek a diagnosis and ultimately, to learn how to live with and […]

It was great seeing all of you who were able to attend December’s holiday lunch meeting, where we welcomed two new women to our group. One who was diagnosed just a few months ago commented, “All I’ve been hearing and reading about is exercise is good and everyone’s experience is different.” That about sums it […]

I don’t know about you, but having five Thursdays in November has really thrown my internal schedule off. Thanksgiving felt like it came early and our upcoming December meeting date has crept up on me and is suddenly a week away. Hopefully you already have the 2023/2024 meeting dates marked on your calendars. We are planning on a […]

Our guest speaker this month is Dr. Aviva Ellenstein, M.D. Ph.D., a Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Neurologist at Washington Brain and Spine Institute. She will speak to us via Zoom from 1:00-2:00 p.m. followed by Just-Us Share Time for the rest of our meeting.   Please plan to sign in 10-15 minutes prior as Dr. Ellenstein will begin […]

Meeting Details: Date: Wednesday, October 4 Time: 1:00-2:30 pm Place: Our usual classroom location Topic: Just-Us Share Time OUR PERSONAL PARKINSON’S JOURNEY. NIH defines Parkinson’s as “a chronic, progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by both motor and non-motor features.” That’s a pretty vague definition, if you ask me. So I googled Parkinson’s symptoms for more specifics […]

It was so great to be together in the Zoom room on Wednesday, September 6. Our guest speaker was Speech-Language Pathologist Susan Wranik, whose years of experience and extensive knowledge informed her talk on the swallowing challenges and vocal issues of Parkinson’s. She shared her enthusiasm, passion, and positivity with us, as well as her […]

I don’t know about you, but summer feels like it’s been here forever with its 90 degree days. Yet August, by far the hottest month this year, has flown by. I realized looking at my calendar today that Friday, THIS Friday, is September 1. Since we meet the first Wednesday of the month, our meeting is […]

Our May 3 meeting was held via Zoom. It was so great to see everyone! We went around the Zoom room, each of us sharing what’s been going on in our lives, our support group experiences, and whatever else we felt like sharing. We had a good turnout–I counted fourteen–including five members who have been […]

A huge thank you to everyone who responded to our e-mail questions! A lot of time and effort goes into planning and running our meetings. We appreciate all your input about what works and doesn’t work for you, as well as what you are looking for in the group. Because we’d like to continue the […]