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 discussion and feel it is important to have as much input from all of you as we can, our May 3rd meeting will be via ZOOM starting at 10:30 a.m.
- MEETING DETAILS: ***KINDLY RSVP VIA EMAIL****
- DATE: Wednesday, May 3
- TIME: 10:30 a.m – 12:00 p.m. ** VIA ZOOM / NOTE EARLIER TIME **
- TOPIC: How Can This Group Best Support You next year? Some of our thoughts and ideas are listed For Discussion below; we invite you to bring yours!
- ZOOM link will be sent out via email prior to the meeting.
A SUMMARY of the input and suggestions you sent:
1. Responses as to what you get from our group included strength, safety, support, camaraderie, confidence, community, and inspiration through sharing experiences, sharing concerns, exchanging coping strategies, and “having friends who truly understand what it means to live with Parkinson’s.”
2. Conflicts with work schedules and other scheduled activities, family issues, health concerns, travel, and medical appointments are the main reasons for missing or no longer attending meetings. Some suggested Zoom meetings might help address some of these issues and concerns.
3. There were a number of requests we wear name tags.
4. Lots of responses about enjoying and learning a lot from our guest speakers, but also that it’s not necessary to have a speaker at every meeting.
5. Everyone in the exercise class and most everyone else responded to not only agreeing with an earlier meeting time, but preferring it.
6. Other suggestions included meeting outdoors and bringing our own lunch; devoting more Just Us/Share Time to our disease progression; beginning our meetings by going around the room for a brief (3-minute or so) introduction of ourselves and what’s been going on in the past month; breaking out into smaller groups for part of the meeting.
FOR DISCUSSION: We’d like to talk about these suggestions and some other ideas that have grown from all this helpful feedback. Bring your thoughts and ideas!
1. Zoom vs. live meetings — let’s discuss the pros and cons.
2. Speakers — we’re looking for specific topics and speakers. Who do you want to hear? What do you want them to talk about?
3. An earlier meeting time seems preferable to most everyone. We proposed 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 noon; there may be a little wiggle room here we can discuss.
4. Now we come to a problem. We checked with our current meeting space and due to another group’s entering and exiting activities, we would have to be out of the building before noon, not realistically doable as we could no longer linger and talk after the meeting like we do now. Not to mention that Parkinson’s and time constraints do not do well together.
* Option 1: Meet in the same place at the earlier time on a different day.
* Option 2: Meet in a different place at the earlier time on the same day.
* Option 3: Meet via Zoom at the earlier time on the same day.
* There are one or two senior centers we are checking into to see if they would waive the meeting room charge to determine if moving to another location is even an option.
ALSO UP FOR DISCUSSION: JUNE 7 Picnic Lunch Outdoor Meeting Location –Bring your suggestions