Lismore Parkinsons Support Group
“Sometimes it requires an event to rebirth and find our true selves”
Anon
Many who find their way to this page are living with Parkinson’s Disease or are caring for someone who is. If you are one of these people, a huge welcome. If you are newly diagnosed or have been diagnosed for some time , whether you are young or old, we are guessing you are on a journey of discovery and may have unanswered questions.
You may simply need some support or may have something you need to sort through, something you are uncertain about. Today we would like to give a very brief overview of some places and websites that may assist.
Parkinson’s NSW is a wonderful, not for profit organisation. It is a great source of information, direction and support for people living with PD and their carers. They have trained counsellors and nurses who can give confidential phone advice. They have a full list of all support groups in NSW. They give great detail about the illness and the treatments used. They can be contacted with advice on things as varied as the NDIS or Aged Care to exercise and living well with Parkinson’s.They send up-to-date information in the form of their regular “In Touch” Newsletter .
This is at no cost to those with Parkinson’s.
Contact and Meetings
Lismore Regional Parkinson’s Support Group is our local support group. Newcomers are always welcome. Our group has regular meetings each third Friday of the month with guest speakers.
There is always an opportunity to share symptoms and discuss strategies to deal with them in a supportive, non-judgemental, confidential environment and inevitably friendships form. We have built an excellent library of books selected and donated by the members themselves .
For more information;
Contact Di Lymbury 0423941119.
You have already navigated to our Lismore Parkinson’s Support Page and from here you can fill in the information to become a member of our group. You will then automatically receive our regular mail outs including upcoming meeting reminders, upcoming guest speakers, education about different aspects of PD and treatment, information about zoom meetings you may like to attend , research opportunities or even information about online speech therapies, exercise programs etc.
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Parkinsons Support Groups Online
Another excellent and safe website is the Australia and New Zealand Parkinson’s Support and Chat Facebook Page. This is a private group that is closely monitored and where people living with Parkinson’s and their carers are able to discuss a great variety of related issues. The tone is very positive and supportive and sales pitches are deleted as are posts on unproven therapies.
Our Lismore Parkinson’s support group co-convenor, John Waters, is an admin on this site and I am one of the moderators. I write weekly inspirational posts for it.
Those who care for people living with PD are an extra special group. The Australia and New Zealand Parkinson’s Group for Carers is a safe group that has been set up especially for Carers of people with Parkinson’s Disease., for the Children, brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews, for the friends and anyone else who lives with or cares for a person with Parkinson’s Disease. This is also a private group.
Another closed and safe group is for Aussie wives or partners to men with Parkinson's Disease. It is called the “Aussie Partners of Our Man with Parkinson.”
Two very valuable research sites are The Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research and the Shake it Up Australia Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.
These give excellent information about research;
results for the latest therapies, opportunities to be involved in research and they aim to raise funds for their vital research. They also provide excellent information about Parkinson’s Disease. Of course, the amazing Michael J Fox founded the MJ Fox Foundation and Lismore’s very own Clyde Campbell is the founder and CEO of Shake it Up Australia.
News and Articles
Practising self acknowledgement
If you are like me, you will find it far easier to acknowledge others you meet and often find self acknowledgement a far more challenging prospect. We have , in many cases, been conditioned to thrust back the tiny tendrill of positivity that struggles to be free, that thought that whispers "You are doing a great job. ""When you acknowledge something or someone, it is a high form of respect."~ Stanley R. Saunders.
Attitude is everything
Good Morning Brave Friends and Parkinson’s WarriorsRecently Parkinson's NSW published an article on the Five Stages of Parkinson's. Although we are all unique, apparently Parkinson's Disease does follow a broad pattern that has been divided into five typical stages known as the Hoehn and Yahr scale. I understand that this may be helpful for physicians, but use of this scale outside of this has always, to be honest, really irked me. I have no wish to be pigeon-holed and placed in a box. Some comments on the Parkinson's NSW facebook page show I am not alone. Jen wrote "As a person with PD , I am not a fan of stages " .e Dyer.
Benefits of Parkinsons Support Group
Good morning Parkinson's friends and family I see one of the benefits of convening a Parkinson's Support Group is that I get to meet so many wonderful, unique people I would never have had the opportunity to meet otherwise. I delight in greeting them along with their partners or alone as they arrive and begin to mingle before our meeting commences. I am especially mindful of, and always touched by the love, respect and care that partners of people living with Parkinson's demonstrate , in all their thoughtful actions and kindness of words. It has not, over the years, been uncommon for the person living with Parkinson's to confide in me that they would be lost without this special person in their lives. As Carer's Week approaches, I believe it is so vital to take time to look at the carer role. Many of those living with Parkinson's , through daily interactions , remain acutely aware of the role that person plays in their lives.
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