Category: Parkinson’s Disease

I learned quite a bit at our last meeting about the challenges and solutions to aging in place, and was struck by the passion, energy, and commitment of Steve Gurney, our April speaker. I haven’t posted meeting notes yet, but did want to post links and contact information for the various resources Steve gave us, […]

Our guest speaker, Jill Fitzgerald, Speech Language Pathologist, discussed the importance of maintaining strong voicing and swallow function in people with Parkinson’s disease. Swallowing is a life-sustaining motor behavior that transports liquids and nutrients from the mouth to the throat to the esophagus to the stomach. Swallowing is also essential for airway protection. Dysphagia, or […]

Our guest speaker for our next monthly meeting is Steve Gurney, Founder of the Positive Aging Sourcebook. Steve will lead an interactive discussion that explores challenges and solutions to Aging in Place. He will talk about universal design and remodeling, technology, innovative transportation options, health care, community resources, and much more. Come with your questions for this interactive […]

Welcome Spring! Welcome Daylight Savings Time! It is so nice to have these longer, warmer, sunnier days. At our last meeting, we discussed Zoom vs in-person meetings and came to a group consensus to return to meeting in-person for those of us who felt comfortable and to accommodate those of us who didn’t by providing […]

Our guest speaker this month is Speech Language Pathologist, Jill Fitzgerald. She will discuss the importance of therapeutic intervention and techniques to maintain strong voicing and swallow function, educating us on the anatomy of both voicing and swallowing, and the bodily mechanics involved. She will also address cognitive issues and how they can affect voicing and swallow function.  Date: Wednesday, March […]

The Programs and Resources listed here and elsewhere on our website have been provided to us by various sources and are being passed along for informational purposes only and not as an endorsement of any program, product, study opportunity, or service. Should you have any question about the suitability of any exercise or other program […]

No matter where we are or how long we’ve been on our Parkinson’s journey, we have all encountered loss, adjusted to change, and adapted to the challenges of living with Parkinson’s. In the spirit of friendship and support, during our February 2nd meeting, we each shared something we’ve lost, something we’ve gained, and something that […]

February heralds in Groundhog Day as well as our monthly meeting. This year, they both fall on the same day–the first Wednesday of the month. Let’s hope that legendary groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, awakens to a cloudy morning and can’t find his shadow. I know I’m looking for an early spring and warmer weather to come […]

Hope everyone is enjoying a safe, healthy, and joyous holiday season. I suspect I am not the only one whose plans were derailed by Covid and the fast-spreading Omicron variant. Dinner for thirteen became dinner for four when one of our invited guests tested positive the day before, keeping him and everyone he’d been around […]

Our December guest speaker was Physical Therapist, Joy McLaughlin. She has over 34 years of experience working in acute care hospitals, inpatient rehabilitation, home care and for the last 12 years, outpatient neurological rehabilitation at Inova Fair Oaks Hospital. In her talk, she covered the basics of WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHY, WHEN and HOW about PT […]