NoN Community,

Parkinson's Disease can be very isolating.  It is a fact that has been brought to the forefront these past 2 years in the midst of the COVID pandemic.  Along with the loneliness can come depression and anxiety (research estimates 50-70% of people with PD will experience this).  These can have serious and deleterious effects on your health and well-being. 

We recommend the following steps to help:
 
- discuss these feelings with your entire healthcare team (general practitioner, neurologist, physical therapist).  We strongly recommend adding a psychiatrist to your team to help navigate this journey.
- meet with a dietician to discuss healthy eating habits to help improve mood and well-being
- discuss these feelings with your friends and family.  You are not alone.  In most cases they want to help, but don't know how.  Tell them.
- join the local support group.
- join a local activity group that interests you
- Every day write down something positive from your day
 
This is obviously a short post on a complex topic.  Sometimes it's complexity leaves people stuck.  We believe the items above are a great place to start.  What can you do to help yourself today?  Check out the "Take Action Today" suggestion below.  Feel free to share things that have helped you in the comments below.  You never know who you might help!
 
Thanks!

Take Action Today - Reach out to one new contact today.  It can be a friend, someone from a support group, family, healthcare team, or someone from a zoom program you've done.  Set up a time once a week to talk, have coffee, etc.  It doesn't always need to be about PD, but it can be if needed.  Sometimes just knowing you have someone to reach out to is enough.

Hello NoN Community,
We get asked a lot about increased risk for a variety of activities related to PD.  One common one that pops up is, "Am I at a hire risk of problems when I go into the hospital?"  The short answer is actually YES.  There are 2 main issues:

1. Most people will not get there medications on time while staying in a hospital.  This obviously can lead to a variety of problems.  We strongly recommend having your medication schedule printed in a pack to bring with you to the hospital.
2. Most people will also suffer unnecessary complications due to medications, falls, and incomplete medical histories.

The Parkinson's Foundation has created an "Aware in Care Hospitalization Kit" that you can purchase HERE.  The kit is free with an $8 shipping charge.  You can certainly make your own.  Just make sure it is accessible and you remember to bring it with you in the event that you need to go to the hospital.  Consider having the following items:

1. Medication list with dose, time of day, with/without food.
2. Past medical history list (previous diagnoses, surgeries, trips to the hospital)
3. Any information regarding DBS, Pacemaker, or any other electronics in your body.
4. Emergency contacts along with relationship and numbers.

We hope this helps.  Check out the Parkinson's Foundation page (or the video below) to see their kit or make your own.  It will make any experience at the hospital much better for you.

Thanks!

Hello everyone,

We are excited to share a recent zoom interview with you all.  This is Molly from UpENDing Parkinsons (Website:  https://www.upendparkinsons.com/ ).  Take a minute to check out her website.

Although some research has started in Europe, little has been done in the USA regarding rock climbing as a viable treatment option for PD.  Here is one of the articles:  https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04569981

Rock climbing is great for building strength, flexibility, endurance, and confidence all without the risk of falling.  We like that it is something unique too.  Your brain will get bored when you repeat the same activity over and over again.  It is one of the reasons why we like boxing so much.  It is always challenging you in different ways.   We think rock climbing is a really exciting new possibility for those with PD.

Check out the video and Molly's website.  If this got you motivated, comment below with some pictures of you rock climbing!

Thank you!