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Parkinson's Disease is a complex disease that doesn’t present the same way in everyone. In Strathmore, there’s a Parkinson's Disease support group that meets monthly at Hope Community Covenant Church that aims to inform, educate and lend a hand to people living with the diagnosis, but also their partners, families, and caregivers.

We spoke with Emma Torneiro, Client Services Coordinator, Parkinson Association of Alberta, who also runs the group, and she explained what happens each month. 

“We offer a monthly support group to anyone impacted by Parkinson's Disease in Strathmore and the Wheatland County area.” They also offer one on one support which can be done over the phone, in-home or online via zoom. 

The association provides education and builds supports as well as creates a community for people with Parkinson's disease where they can feel supported. 

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the access to services online has grown, there are a lot more people in the Strathmore and Wheatland County region who normally may not have had access to some of the association's resources because some are located in larger centres like Calgary or Edmonton. 

“They are getting access to more services,” she said. For example, during Parkinson's Awareness Month in April, the association hosted a series of webinars, which opened the discussions up to many more individuals. 

Visitors can browse a program calendar to see all of the up and coming events in the next two months. 

"From there you can see a listing of all of the support groups it provides the date and time of the group, and then for anyone who's interested in joining, they can just give us a call directly and we can give them the information on the group and get them registered,” she said. 

In terms of statistics, Torneiro explained there is no official registry that counts the number of people locally with Parkinson's Disease.  

“We do estimate that it is quite high because it is the second most prevalent neurologic condition after Alzheimer's disease,” she said. “It doesn't look the same in everyone and we're here to support anyone with the disease.” 

Over the past few months, the coordinator explained they have seen a few successes.  

“We’re definitely seeing more people reaching out and using our supports in a variety of different ways. We meet on zoom, we meet in person or over the phone, so just staying more connected to people and trying to be there for what they need,” she said. 

For people interested in coming to one of their meetings, it’s a great place to get new information and for the social aspect, it’s a good place to meet people who are also navigating Parkinson’s Disease. 

“I know the pandemic was isolating for so many people, but Parkinson's Disease could be isolating as well, so it's good to break down that isolation and know that there's a community of people there for you,” she said. 

In addition to the programming offered through the support group, they are also offering a hybrid mix of in-person and online programming for the Strathmore region. 

The coordinator explained that in the future they would love to see the support group grow with more members. In the future, Torneiro would like to see the group be able to offer more services including fitness activities. 

"Growing the group is the number one goal. Because of the pandemic, our group got a little bit smaller so it would be nice to get some more folks out and have a bigger community of support here. We also would like to do an exercise program if that is a possibility,” she said. In the past before the pandemic, there was interest in forming a boxing group for people with Parkinson's Disease. 

In June the association will be hosting a fundraiser called ‘Cars for a Cause’. The event will be a classic car fundraiser held on June 19 in Calgary. Funds from the event will support the Calgary region, which includes Strathmore. 

Coming up in September the Parkinson Association of Alberta will be hosting their grand fundraiser called  ‘Step and Stride’ fundraiser. “That's our biggest fundraiser of the year,” she explained. 

Mainly Torneiro wants people to know that they’d like to reach more people and help them get the support that they need. 

The support group meets on the first Thursday of each month at 1:30 p.m. at Hope Community Covenant Church. Those who wish to get more information can do so by also calling 1-800-561-1911, or visiting parkinsonassociation.ca. 

 

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