YOU’RE NOT ALONE

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What Can I Expect at a Support Group?

• Support group is a voluntary gathering of people who share common A experiences, situations or problems related to living with Parkinson’s disease.
• Offer each other emotional and practical support and reduce the sense of isolation that is associated with PD diseases.
• Support groups include discussions on topics of interest and sharing of information, resources and experiences
• It’s okay to just listen in on a support group; each person has their own comfort level about sharing with others.
• Supports groups are informal all are welcome.
• Often, there will be a speaker – doctor, pharmacist, therapist, counselor, humorist, lawyer, or other professional.
• Some meetings will be a free-spirited discussion among its members about topics of great interest. Or the facilitator may have arranged something special – dinner at a restaurant or a trip to the park.
• Don’t be afraid to speak to the facilitator about what interests you.
• What happens at a support group meeting is confidential?
• There’s a saying that you get as much from an activity as you put into it.
• Nobody will force you to speak during a group discussion, but you will benefit more if you share your feelings and thoughts.
• The facilitator always appreciates a helping hand, even if it is an occasional few minutes to help greet new members or to organize one meeting.
• A support group does bring together people with a common bond; a support group validates people’s concerns by also looking after their emotional needs.
• Many people, after their first visit to a support group, were heard to say, “And I thought I was the only one with this problem.”

Support Links

PD TRIALS

• FOX TRIAL FINDER: Parkinson’s Disease Clinical Trials. – more

NUTRITION

• Five Star Nutrition
• Nutrition and Parkinson’s Disease information – more

EXERCISE AND FITNESS

• Delay the Disease Exercise and Parkinson’s Disease – more
• Sit and Be Fit – more
• Parkinson’s Disease and the Art of Moving – more
• Motivating Moves for People with Parkinson’s – more
• Functional Aquatic Fitness Training for Parkinson’s Disease (DVD) – more

AREA AGENCIES ON AGING

• Area Agencies on Aging respond to the needs of the elderly in the communities they serve. To find the agency in your county. – more

NATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR CAREGIVING

• National Alliance For Caregiving is dedicated to providing support to family caregivers and the professionals who help them and to increasing public awareness of issues facing family care giving. – more

NATIONAL FAMILY CAREGIVER ASSOCIATION

• The National Family Caregivers Association (NFCA) exists to support family caregivers and to speak out publicly for caregivers’ needs. Through its services in the areas of education and information, support and validation, public awareness and advocacy, NFCA strives to minimize the disparity between a caregiver’s quality of life and that of mainstream Americans. – more

REHABILITATION THERAPIES

• American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) – more
• American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) – more
• American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA) – more
• Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT) – more