Sphere of Control

Parkinson’s doesn’t have to be in the driver’s seat.

Let’s talk about how you can navigate taking charge, action, and control. 

Our August meeting will focus on the “Sphere of Control” concept and how it can be applied to different aspects of life with Parkinson’s disease (PD).

The Sphere of Control is a simple yet effective concept that assists you in concentrating your energy on things you have direct influence over rather than being preoccupied with things you cannot control. It consists of three areas:

1. Things we can control.

2. Things we can influence.

3. Things beyond our control.

In our meeting, we’ll discuss how this concept relates to five important aspects of PD management.

1. Nutrition: We’ll discuss how your nutrition choices may help manage PD symptoms.

2. Exercise: We’ll explore exercise routines you can adapt to your capabilities, emphasizing what movements and activities you can manage.

3. Stress Management: We’ll introduce techniques like deep breathing and laughter yoga that you can practice to help reduce stress.

4. Managing Medication: We’ll discuss staying organized and consistent with your prescriptions.

5. Social Connections: We’ll talk about ways you can actively maintain and nurture your support systems and relationships.

As a component of our stress management conversation, we will join in a lighthearted 3-minute laughter yoga practice. Discover how laughter can be a controllable tool to uplift your spirits and alleviate stress.

Remember that the objective is to empower yourself by focusing on what you can control rather than dwelling on aspects of PD beyond your control.

I can’t wait to see all of you at our upcoming meeting. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out.

May-Resource Roundup

Bring your favorite resources, programs, classes and more to share with the other group members.

April- Posture, Lena Ebron, DPT

Lena Ebron, Physical Therapist, led an interactive presentation on posture. She taught us how to evaluate our posture, discussed the importance of proper posture, and gave tips on supporting better posture.

February- Dr. Jack Shen, Movement Disorders Specialist

We are thrilled to meet with Dr. Chen, one of Wellstar Health System’s Movement Disorders Specialist. This meeting is open to anyone with an interest in Parkinson’s Disease.

January: Travel

Wellstar Occupational Therapist Pooja Surkanti led an informative discussion on traveling with Parkinson’s Disease. She provided tips for safety, convenience, navigating airports, getting through security, packing, and travel essentials.

Top Tips:

• Request a wheelchair- even if you are not wheelchair-bound. Airports such as Atlanta’s may require a lot of standing and walking.

• Get TSA Precheck if you are under 75 and/or not eligible for expedited security checks. Using Precheck will get you through security faster and prevent you from having to remove your shoes. (If you are 75 or older, you do not have to remove your shoes.) Avoid lace-up or hard to remove shoes if you know you’ll need to take your shoes off at the airport.

• Pack your medications in your carryon. Be sure to remove them from your bag if you have to gate-check your carryon.

December: Sensory Processing and Regulation

Celina Parkman led a fun, interactive activity where we learned about sensory processing and regulation. She demonstrated how certain textures, movements, and flavors can have an impact on our nervous system.

Updated Website in Process

New link, new website host. If you are looking for previous PD Life resources, go to: https://theparkinsonspot.wordpress.com

Happy 4th Anniversary

We celebrated our 4th anniversary as a Parkinson’s support group by meeting in person.

September 2022 - Cognition

Topic: Cognition and Parkinson’s with guest presenter for Wellstar Health System’s Neuropsychology team.

August 2022 - Mental Health, Behavior, and PD

Special guest: Dr. Jessica Robbins, neuropsychologist with Wellstar Healthcare System.

If you are on the mailing list, you will receive copies of the resources that Dr. Robbins shared.

July 2022- Mindfulness and PD

Guest presentation: Dr. Goheer, neuropsychologist with WellStar Health System. Dr Goheer discussed mindfulness and its benefits.