The Estevan Parkinson’s Support Group has only been meeting for a few months, but it has already attracted a growing number of people who want to learn more about Parkinson’s Disease.
Elaine Murray and Audrey Garrioch are the co-chairs of the support group, which meets on the first Thursday of the month. Group members talk about their experiences with Parkinson’s, and how they cope with the disease.
“Everybody’s Parkinson’s is a little bit different,” Garrioch told Lifestyles. “It’s not the same for everyone. They all have different symptoms and different ways of handling it.”
The meetings have attracted people who were recently diagnosed with the condition, and others who have lived with it for a number of years. Some people with Parkinson’s might have tremors or difficulty walking, and others in attendance won’t.
Murray and Garrioch are both caregivers for people with Parkinson’s. Murray’s husband, Barrie, was diagnosed nearly four years ago, while Garrioch’s husband, Richard, has had the disease since 2003.
Murray noted she was approached about starting a support group in Estevan after she found out her husband had Parkinson’s.
“We go to the conferences and what not, so they knew we were interested,” said Murray.
“Since my husband had been diagnosed, I had tried (to start a group), too, but getting everybody on board just didn’t work out at the time for me,” added Garrioch.
The conferences proved to be informative, Murray said, and they give people an opportunity to meet others who have Parkinson’s.
“The speakers are wonderful,” said Murray. “They provide information on everything from recent research to nutrition and exercise.”
They are happy with the response for the local club since its inception. The sessions have proven to be a good source of discussion, and have been very helpful. Meetings have attracted anywhere from 11 to 23 people so far.
It costs $10 for a family to attend a meeting for the first time, and that money is used to pay for future costs of renting meeting rooms. The Parkinson Canada Society of Saskatchewan has covered the meeting rental costs so far.
Meetings have been held at the Estevan Public Library and the Affinity Place lounge. They will ask for money again when their current cash runs out, but that hasn’t happened yet.
Support group also had a table at the Estevan Antique Auto Club’s flea market and at the Southern Plains Co-op during the Parkinson’s Awareness Week in April. They have also received donations.
The group has also had the support of Jessica Lewgood, who is a certified exercise physiologist originally from Regina. Lewgood had been involved with the Parkinson’s group in Regina, and has been very influential in helping the Estevan support group get going.
“She has made all of our arrangements for our meeting places,” said Murray. “She also made the arrangement for the speaker we had from Prairie Heart Mobility this past month.”
The success of the club has led them to consider bringing a Parkinson’s Walk to Estevan that would likely happen in September.
They noted there is also a meeting each year when representatives of all the support groups gather to discuss issues.
“We can compare how we are doing, and suggest to one another things we can do,” said Murray.
Murray admits that she and her husband were hesitant to start the club because they were worried it would be tough to see people who are in worse shape than her husband.
“But in reality it doesn’t work that way,” said Murray. “You see others that are worse off than you, but you see their attitude towards the disease, and actually how well they are doing, rather than it being a depressing kind of thing.”
The club has also given them a greater awareness for how many people in the city have Parkinson’s. People with the disease and their caregivers have also been able to connect with others thanks to the meetings.
“With Richard, way back then, we always thought he was the only one, and we didn’t know of others, and we wondered (if there were others),” said Garrioch. “And then I wondered just how many more were out there with the same condition. So it’s kind of interesting and nice to know that you are not alone.”
The club’s next meeting will be on June 2 at noon. It will focus on exercise and its value for people with Parkinson’s. Members will share their tips for exercise, and Lewgood will make a presentation on exercises for those with Parkinson’s.
They won’t meet in July and August, and once the meetings resume in the fall, they will look at having some evening get-togethers to accommodate those who work during the day.
