Blog
“Doctor knows best.” Not so long ago, this was the prevailing attitude about making health care decisions. The doctor was the expert who made the diagnosis and initiated the treatment; the patient played only a small role in decision-making. But this approach won’t work with Parkinson’s disease. The person with Parkinson’s must be fully engaged in recognizing symptoms, assessing their severity, and deciding if a treatment is working.
I want to tell my father’s story and the part of it that is my story. I need to tell it. It’s been inside me for so long, and I’ve shared pieces, but it has evolved. I come to a greater understanding of it all the time, through the people I meet in this work, through hearing their struggles and their stories of hope, by telling pieces of my dad’s story and hearing people’s reactions to it, through learning new things about trauma and about myself. These things cause more of the tiny little lights strung across the darkness to turn on and help me to see things more clearly.
At Vibrant Aging, our focus is helping people to choose to be the best version of themselves every day for the rest of their life. In January 2021, I shared my pursuit of developing a free video/audio meditation with a few musician friends and a voice coach, in hopes of recruiting their talents. I am excited to announce that we have finally completed the project. This “TLC for the Nervous System”. I hope it helps you to find calm during stressful times!
Sarah Palmer is an exercise professional who works with Cincinnati clients with Parkinson's both at her studio in Blue Ash and in their home through her firm foreverfitness. Sarah has recently been recognized nationally for her fine work, knowledge and experience in the PD field. She was invited to be on the faculty teaching the PWR! Training Course and she was invited to lead the first live Fitness Friday workout sponsored by the Parkinson's Foundation (PF). She also served the Parkinson’s Foundation on the committee to accredit training courses.
Exercise is so important for those with PD. "...most PD experts now agree that exercise is as beneficial for PD as any medication they can prescribe." Parkinson Support & Wellness Executive Director Chris Gaffney and Assistant Director Julia Burks have a conversation over Zoom with Elizabeth Grover, a Cincinnati PD exercise connoisseur.
Recently, one of the exercise opportunities supported by our organization has been getting a lot of media attention! Dancing with Parkinson’s added classes at the Cincinnati Ballet beginning in October as part of the Ballet company’s CBMoves Department.
In 1997 I noticed that, despite being right handed, I was using my left hand only to shampoo my hair and drink beverages. Hmmm, that’s odd. At the end of the year I made a New Year’s resolution to do something about it, and after my primary care doctor ruled out a brain tumor with an MRI, I was diagnosed by a neurologist with Parkinson’s in March of 1998. Since both of my maternal grandparents had PD, I thought I knew what I was dealing with.
