We are so grateful for partners like the Norm Waitt Sr. YMCA in S. Sioux City, NE.
Jacque Perez, the Senior Program Director, became certified in the Delay the Disease Parkinson’s exercise program nine years ago. Since then, she has been serving people with Parkinson’s in S. Sioux City and surrounding areas. With a lack of other exercise services in the area, the YMCA Delay the Disease program has played an important role in keeping the community active and moving.
In July 2019, Dawn Welch from the Norm Waitt Sr. YMCA attended the Parkinson’s Nebraska-sponsored Delay the Disease training to become a certified instructor. She has since helped improve and grow the program, using her skills as a social work and group exercise instructor.
In 2021, the program is going to grow even more. Parkinson’s Nebraska is proud to award the Norm Waitt Sr. YMCA with a grant to begin a new support group in S. Sioux City! The grant will provide funding for the support group facilitators, supplies, marketing, and creating & distributing monthly educational resources from January- December 2021.
Starting in January, the support group will meet on the second Monday of each month from 12:15-1:15 pm. The monthly meeting intentionally follows a Delay the Disease class, to increase both participation and engagement of the group members. At each group session, they will have a pre-planned topic or theme to facilitate as well as educational handouts for the participants.
Thank you so much to Jacque, Dawn, and the Norm Waitt Sr. YMCA for all they do to empower people with Parkinson’s to live well & strengthen the S. Sioux City PD community. We couldn’t make an impact without such dedicated professionals and we are so grateful they are on this journey with us! Learn more about the Norm Waitt Sr YMCA at http://nwsymca.org/.
Donate to the Give with Intent campaign to support programs like Delay the Disease and new support group at the Norm Waitt Sr. YMCA, and expand services to other communities across Nebraska.
Delay the Disease Norm Waitt Sr. YMCA 601 Riverview Dr. South Sioux City, NE 68776 Mondays and Wednesday 11:00 am- 12:00 pm Jacque Perez jperez@nwsymca.org
Parkinson’s Disease Support Group- starting January 11th! Norm Waitt Sr. YMCA 601 Riverview Dr. South Sioux City, NE 68776 12:15 pm- 1:15 pm Second Monday of each month Jacque Perez 402-404-8439 jperez@nwsymca.org
Alliance Support Group
December 4, 2020
As we expand our reach to Western Nebraska, we are grateful for support group facilitators like Dee Brauninger.
Dee’s husband lived with Parkinson’s for 12 years. They were living in Washington State when he was diagnosed and they joined a support group. There, they experienced the benefits of belonging to a group. When they moved back to Alliance, NE they found that there was not a support group anywhere near them.
So Dee started one! She began the first Parkinson’s support group in the Alliance area and has been facilitating ever since. Now, the group serves Western Nebraska, with Zoom allowing many more people to attend the meetings. She encourages the group members to learn as much as they can about the disease to empower themselves and helps them connect to PD community by sharing resources and learning opportunities.
In October, she attended the In Sync Support Group Leader Workshop to learn about effective support group leadership and management skills. She is truly committed to the Parkinson’s community and connecting Western Nebraska with specialized resources.
Your donation to the Give with Intent campaign during the month of December will support facilitators like Dee by providing training opportunities and connecting her to local, statewide, and national resources to strengthen the Alliance Parkinson’s community.
Donate today to help support facilitators like Dee and others all across Nebraska!
The Community Outreach Program was created in response to the need for more meaningful outreach and engagement with communities outside of the Omaha metro area. The purpose of the program is to actively engage with communities in a way that promotes community-building, expands programming based on local needs, and empowers local leaders to create lasting change. Centered around creating meaningful relationships, the Community Outreach Program focuses on strengthening each community by connecting people with Parkinson’s to each other, to local resources and leaders, and to the statewide and national Parkinson’s network.
Over the summer, the pilot program was rolled out in Norfolk, NE. Norfolk was chosen because of its similarities to Omaha such as well-attended exercise classes, a support group, PD-specific therapy, and it serves the surrounding communities. It was also chosen because it is a relatively short distance from Omaha and an in-person event was planned before Covid-19.
At the start of the program, a community needs assessment was conducted to take an inventory of specialized Parkinson’s services and gain feedback from providers serving the Norfolk area. In September, the first Norfolk Leaders Discussion was held via Zoom to share the results of the assessment, share best practices and current statuses, our Community Advocacy Model and to connect the community leaders to each other & to resources.
We were joined by several local professionals including physical therapists, occupational therapists, and exercise professionals from Faith Regional Health Services, the Norfolk Family YMCA, Family Physical Therapy and Fountain Point Medical Community who are committed to strengthening the Norfolk PD community. The group had an open and engaging conversation about the current services provided, great ideas for future programs, and identified the next steps to take.
As part of the Community Outreach Program, the Norfolk community received $500 in grant funding to support a Parkinson’s wellness program. The group will be using the funding to start a new evening support group at the Norfolk Family YMCA! They will begin meeting in January, immediately follow the Rock Steady Boxing class. Tina will also be attending a Dance for Parkinson’s training to implement a new Parkinson’s class! Please contact Tina Collison at the Norfolk Family YMCA at 402-371-9770 or getfit@norfolkymca.org for more information.
We are grateful for the outcome of the pilot program in Norfolk, and for the dedicated providers who made it a success. It is so exciting to see communities grow and expand Parkinson’s services, making them more accessible in their local. We are looking forward to strengthening more Parkinson’s communities in 2021!
Parkinson’s Disease Support Group Norfolk Family YMCA 301 Benjamin Ave Norfolk, NE 68701 Tina Collison 402-404-8439 getfit@norfolkymca.org
Dance for Parkinson’s- Coming soon! Norfolk Family YMCA 301 Benjamin Ave Norfolk, NE 68701 Tina Collison 402-404-8439 getfit@norfolkymca.org
The Gift of Parkinson’s
December 3, 2020
Dave Ciaccio, Parkinson’s Nebraska Board Chair
In this season of gift giving, I thought it might be good to spend a little time reflecting on my diagnosis and how it might actually be reframed as a ‘gift’ in my life.
My first thought was that surely these two concepts couldn’t go together. Parkinson’s? A gift? It had to be an oxymoron. But as I jot down the opportunities that Parkinson’s has given me, I see just how big of a gift it actually is.
We receive gifts in all episodes of life whether we realize it or not. We receive gifts every day that we are alive.
The same is true of living with Parkinson’s. Yes, this too presents us with many new opportunities in life if we would only dig a little deeper to find them. Here are a few that I found:
How concerned & caring family & friends can be
A strengthened spiritual life requiring me to trust in God
Dependency on others resulting in greater humility
Peace of mind knowing I am doing all I can in the daily fight
Admiration for the strength and fortitude of those in the struggle with me
New friends who support & encourage me
Amazement at the wisdom of my doctors & therapists
Improved physical conditioning and completing a mini-marathon
Opportunities to help others on their journey to live with optimism
Optimism is a choice in our journey with Parkinson’s. It’s not an easy choice, but one all the same. Determination to not let this disease defeat us or determine who we are is essential. I understand now that I need to not only live with the diagnosis, but to thrive despite it.
Dr. Viktor Frankl was a prisoner in German concentration camps during WWII. His mother, father, brother and pregnant wife were all killed in the camps. He lost everything, he said, that could be taken from a prisoner, except one thing. “The last of the human freedoms, to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
I hope you will choose to see the gifts all around you this season. Wishing you peace and a Merry Christmas!
Norm Waitt Sr. YMCA Support Group Grant
December 3, 2020
Congratulations to the Norm Waitt Sr. YMCA!
Parkinson’s Nebraska is proud to award the Norm Waitt Sr. YMCA with a program grant! The grant will provide a facilitator fee, marketing costs, program material costs, and refreshments for a new Parkinson’s support group in S. Sioux City, NE.
At each monthly session, the group will have pre-planned topics such as stress management, community resources, coping strategies, communication, and more. Participants will be provided with hand-outs and other resources to take home with them. It will be offered immediately after the Delay the Disease class to make it easy for class participants to join the group.
The support group will be led by Dawn Welsh, MSW. Dawn attended the Parkinson’s Nebraska Delay the Disease training in 2019 and has become an integral part of the S. Sioux City PD community. She has experience leading groups in her role as a social worker and will bring much passion and knowledge to the facilitator role.
We are so grateful to have leaders like Jacque and Dawn in the Parkinson’s community. They are committed to strengthening the S. Sioux City PD community and making education and support accessible. We could not make an impact without them!
Learn more about the Norm Waitt Sr. YMCA and how to get involved at http://nwsymca.org/.
Delay the Disease Norm Waitt Sr. YMCA 601 Riverview Dr. South Sioux City, NE 68776 Mondays and Wednesday 11:00 am- 12:00 pm Jacque Perez 402-404-8439 jperez@nwsymca.org
Parkinson’s Disease Support Group- Starting January 11th! Norm Waitt Sr. YMCA 601 Riverview Dr. South Sioux City, NE 68776 2nd Monday of the month 12:15 pm Jacque Perez 402-404-8439 jperez@nwsymca.org
PDWELL Equipment and Technical Support Grant
November 30, 2020
Congratulations to the PDWELL: A Therapy, Wellness, and Resource Center!
Parkinson’s Nebraska is proud to award the PDWELL with a program grant! The grant will provide new equipment and technical support to the PDWELL online Parkinson’s programs. The equipment, including a sound mixer, wireless headphones/microphones, and more, will increase the quality of live and recorded online exercise and speech programs.
Earlier this year, Parkinson’s Nebraska provided PDWELL with a grant for equipment and technical assistance for a pilot online support group program. Just weeks after the grant announcement, Covid-19 caused programs to close their doors to in-person classes. Little did we know how impactful the technology equipment would become as programs were transitioned online!
Now that online programming is the “new norm” and will be here to stay, we are excited to provide PDWELL with additional equipment to continue providing and improving critical online services. Special microphones and headphones will help eliminate background noise and integrate music during movement classes. They also allow for higher voice quality for the teacher, including their tone and volume level, which benefits speech classes.
Thank you so much to Cheri and the team at PDWELL for working so quickly to transition programs online so people with Parkinson’s still had access to the services they need from home. We are grateful to call PDWELL a partner on our journey!
PDWELL is a leader in online programming in Nebraska. They offer a variety of virtual Parkinson’s programs such as:
Boxing
Dance for PD
Yoga
Pilates
PWR!
Strengthening and Combo classes
Caregiver Forum
Weekly support groups
Education
Much more!
They are also the host of the Parkinson’s Nebraska-sponsored Live IT Up! program.
Learn more about PDWELL at https://pdwell.com/.
What is Living with Intent
November 15, 2020
For people with Parkinson’s, “live with intent” is a critical concept to living well with the disease.
There are automatic movements and an intentional movements. Automatic movements are dopamine dependent and become more impaired as dopamine is depleted throughout the Parkinson’s disease process. This means that automatic movements are no longer automatic. Movement is still possible, just not as automatically.
Intentional movements do not rely on dopamine and remain relatively intact with Parkinson’s disease. This means that people with Parkinson’s can learn to use purposeful focus on initiating/executing movement. For example, if a person with Parkinson’s walks with intention and purposefully focuses on taking big steps, their steps will be bigger, better, and more controlled. If they speak with intention and purposefully focus on their speech, they will articulate more clearly and precisely.
The concept of doing things with intent relates to any motor task. People with Parkinson’s can greatly improve their movement and speech by working it intentionally! That is why we are committed to helping people with Parkinson’s live with intent.
Donate to our Give with Intent campaign from December 1st- December 31st to support the programs that are helping people with Parkinson’s live with intent across Nebraska.
As the holiday season approaches, we want to make it easy give back to the Parkinson’s community.This year, we are launching the Give with Intent campaign from December 1st- December 31st to celebrate and support the programs across Nebraska that help people with Parkinson’s live with intent each day.
The campaign kicks off on #GivingTuesday
#GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement and day of giving. It is also the kick-off for the Give with Intent campaign! Save the date to help us kick-off the giving season and get a head start on our goals by donating on Tuesday, December 1st!
Spread the word about Parkinson’s Nebraska and the Give with Intent campaign to your friends and family
Tag us and use the hashtag #givewithintent on social media and tag us to let us know why you give during the campaign
Living with intent is a critical concept for people with PD. Learn more about the campaign what it means to live with intent on our Living with Intent blog post.
Finding Optimism in Parkinson’s
November 1, 2020
By Dave Ciaccio, Chair, Parkinson’s Nebraska
We all know that being optimistic in life can benefit our physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing. Optimism is a mental attitude characterized by hope and confidence in success and a positive future. Optimists are those that expect good things to happen, where pessimists instead predict unfavorable outcomes. Optimistic attitudes are linked to a number of benefits including better coping skills, lower stress levels, better physical health, and higher persistence when pursuing goals.
Optimists tend to view hardships as learning experiences or temporary setbacks. Even the most miserable day holds the promise for them that “tomorrow will probably be better.” Often, I’ll wake up early after a parkinson’s night’s sleep and my mind immediately tells me, ‘you have no energy to exercise this morning’. After throwing some water on my face and being thankful for the day, the negativism begins to disappear. I then exercise and find the negative thoughts have disappeared. I then try to maintain that optimism for the day.
Those of us on the journey with Parkinson’s can find it easy to focus on the daily burdens we carry. The burdens want to command our focus and attitude towards the day. It’s only natural these feelings arise, but the key is to give them only a few seconds of time, then cast them away. Turn to the first optimistic thought that follows and dwell on the happiness it brings and be thankful for that moment in time.
Community Advocacy Model
November 1, 2020
The Parkinson’s Nebraska Community Advocacy Model was created as part of the Community Outreach Program. It represents the continuum of medical, wellness, and community services needed to help people with Parkinson’s live well.
Parkinson’s Wellness Networks
The model separates these services into networks- medical, therapy, wellness, community, education, and support. Together, these networks consist of the treatments, services, education, and support that empower people with Parkinson’s to live well.
Medical Network
The Medical Network consists of movement disorder specialists, neurologists, nurse practitioners, primary care physicians. This network diagnoses the patient with Parkinson’s disease, prescribes and monitors medication, and other treatment options.
Therapy Network
The Therapy Network consists of physical therapists, occupational therapists, & speech therapists. This network provides people with Parkinson’s with the therapy services they need to maintain independence and achieve their baseline of function.
Wellness Network
The Wellness Network consists of specialized exercise classes, voice & cognition maintenance classes, nutrition education, and more to help people live well with Parkinson’s and maintain their function.
Community Network
The Community Network consists of local leaders & professionals, volunteers, local & national resources, etc. This network is made up of the people organizing and doing work in the community to empower people with Parkinson’s and connect with resources.
Engagement Network
The Engagement Network consists of the communication channels that connect the community to Parkinson’s programs, events, and updates. It includes monthly newsletters, social media, websites, and the relationships within the community.
Support Network
The Support Network consists of the support groups, caregivers, friends, and family of the person with Parkinson’s. It is the social network of support that helps people with Parkinson’s and their families learn how to cope and find hope with Parkinson’s disease.
A Continuum of Services
One of the key parts of the Community Advocacy Model is the continuum of services. Parkinson’s disease is progressive and currently untreatable. However, people with Parkinson’s can live a quality life and maintain independence by continuously monitoring and maintain their function.
For example, the Therapy and Wellness Networks are shown as a continuum on the model with arrows looping from one network to the other. People with PD need to periodically meet with therapists to monitor their functional baseline while maintaining their current function through wellness programs. They should be regularly using services in both networks.
It is possible to live well despite Parkinson’s disease with access to the right services. The goal of the Community Advocacy Model is to provide a community-building model that can be replicated across Nebraska to strengthen local Parkinson’s communities. The model serves as a foundation for patient-centered, community-based programs that help people with Parkinson’s live a full, quality life.
