Category Archives: Education & Support
Sequestered Gratitude
If you are complaining about being sequestered at home, be grateful that you have a home and a place to reside through this craziness.
If you are arguing with your family member about who ate the last waffle, be grateful that you have the time to be with them.
If you aren’t terrified from this virus, then you aren’t alive.
If you are bored, then you have nothing to read, have nowhere to walk, made no attempt to expand your artistic acumen, are unable to access television, internet, radio, phone, or paper and pen.
If you have nothing to do while you are sequestered, then you know everything, have the perfect home, can do everything, and have achieved perfection. Congratulations!
If you are unable to just enjoy a few minutes of quiet time, by yourself, maybe you should ask yourself why this is?
If you aren’t grateful for this time with your family, dog, cat, or loved ones, it’s time, right now.
Take advantage of this precious time and savor your life at home!
A Very Different Parkinson’s Awareness Month!
In just a matter of days, our world has been turned upside down and around by an invisible and deadly invader. Many of us have turned to an online life of Zoom or Facebook Live. Whether it is for schooling, our occupation, support, workouts, weddings, births, or even funerals. Our life, from start to finish, has become a digital experience.
If we were a lonely planet before the COVID-19 virus’s rampage, our sequestering for our health doesn’t help our mental state. Socializing and getting to know our neighbors is improving and uniting us in ways not seen since WWII.
April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month! As COVID-19 continues to impact the world, it frightens me that all of us who have Parkinson’s disease are more at risk to the virus. Many of us have weakened immune systems and are susceptible to respiratory complications.
This Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Month Has Changed
This is a Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Month like no other! As our message of awareness may get muffled in the shadow of the threat of this virus, it’s important to continue to share information. Normally, awareness about Parkinson’s would be focused on informing those unfamiliar with Parkinson’s about:
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History of Parkinson’s
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Diagnosis
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Prognosis
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Parkinson’s Medications
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Research or Therapies
Rather than offer an awareness about Parkinson’s, we should consider a more timely tact to provide an awareness about protecting ourselves from this dangerous Coronavirus! Please stay strong and maintain your physical and mental health by staying active. So, here are a few sites to keep you informed and up to date:
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World Health Organization (WHO)
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Centers for Disease Control (CDC) – US
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The Coronavirus and Parkinson’s Disease – Parkinson’s Foundation
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COVID-19, Anxiety, and Parkinson’s: Staying Healthy in These Unusual Times – World Parkinson Congress (WPC) blog
Please don’t take unnecessary risks. Be safe! Be careful! Be Well!
Spread Love, Compassion, Care, and Kindness-Not the Virus!
Change to the highest degree is here with rampant speed. It’s a new normal for us all. Social interaction and daily life as we know it will most likely change, forever. Change can be uncomfortable and difficult to accept. Only time will tell what our new normal is going to look like.
Be Careful-Be Smart
As COVID-19 makes its way around the world, it is up to us to remain vigilant as we look after ourselves, our loved ones, our neighbors, and everyone on the planet. It is terribly ironic that a pandemic can confine us to our homes, but highlights just how connected we are to one another. Rich or poor, whatever your race, gender or nationality, we are all in this together.
It is my hope that we choose to share compassion and kindness, in this time of need. This is our opportunity to reunify our nations and the entire planet. Whether you choose to deny climate change or think the Earth is flat, there is no denying this virus and the havoc that it is causing.
Take Precautions
Those of us with Parkinson’s disease may face an even higher risk than the rest of the population, so be extra cautious in your cleanliness, daily care, and exposure. Educate yourself with these important sites, in case you need more information about protection and care:
Virginia Department of Health – COVID-19
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) – Coronavirus (COVID-19)
World Health Organization (WHO) – Coronavirus disease
HOME-BOUND IDEAS
15 Ways to Improve the Lock-down
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Music feeds my soul and if I miss a day of my music, the day just isn’t complete! Enjoy some type of music that connects with you! Whether the music moves your spirit, your energy, or your mood, play something that moves you.
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Reality TV is as close as your nearest window. Too often, we overlook the inspiration of nature that surround us. It may be a brilliant sunrise, a running squirrel, or your neighbors’ dog. Appreciate the simple beauty of the day around you.
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Discover a new talent on YouTube. Whether you want to learn to sharpen your knives or learn to juggle or dance, you’ll find it there.
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Hone and expand your creativity by drawing, doodling, painting, writing, cooking, or learn a new language or musical instrument.
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Forgive me. They are called books. They are low-tech but they still have a place.
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Stay active and force yourself to keep active.
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For stress reduction, try to meditate and check out the App called, Headspace. This is the one that I use and enjoy!
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Use your technology to keep connected with family and friends.
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Build a new daily routine.
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Take special care of your animals. Don’t forget them!
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Look after your neighbors.
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Be kind, compassionate, and patient.
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Don’t forget how to laugh.
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I plan to organize my old photos and find a way to use them.
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Streaming services like Netflix have great content for the whole family.
These are just a few suggestions to inspire moving ahead in this trying time. Be safe and take of yourself and anyone else that you can!
I hope these suggestions are helpful. My intent is to offer some positive thought.
The Missing Month–Where Have I Been?
If you are wondering where I have been or why ASoftVoice.com has had a month of dormancy, I can explain. I am finally capable of telling you just where I have been and the mystery, behind it. The mystery is not nearly as thrilling as this build-up, but it’s fun to write something different for a change. Writing a mystery has some appeal but this is neither the time nor place. I am happy to report that my tale is one of travel. Not too salacious, not too violent, but it does explain my absence.
I am back, after taking almost a month-long adventure-road trip to Key West and back to Northern Virginia. For about 3 weeks, Angela, Lily, the Chocolate Lab, and I explored the Southeast coast and sucked up the warm breezes, compelling sunsets, and miles of open road. Ripe with photo opportunities, my cameras were consistently clicking. Above is a sample and collage of just a few of the pictures that will be in my new gallery, on the website.
Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, we picked up a souvenir, called Flu-don’t pick it up. It is very unfriendly and may cause you to stop off at the Emergency Room on a Saturday morning. I did. A bad cough, a fever of 103.7, and body aches made for a hard-hitting attack. Slowly, I am on my way back and am feeling human, again.
The trip was great! Getting ill has been a setback, but I’m making my way back! Please subscribe, so you never miss the latest post.
Getting What You Need-Support
For the first 7 years of being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, I didn’t see a need, nor did I have a strong desire to join a Parkinson’s disease support group. When I moved to the suburbs, my neurologist, at the time, encouraged me to see what support groups could offer. After attending meetings of a few support groups, my wife, Angela, and I envisioned what we wanted in a group. In a very short period, I went from avoiding Parkinson’s support groups to speaking at them and even starting one of my own. My wife and I ran our support group for a dozen years. I learned so much from so many amazing people. As much as I thought that I didn’t need a support group, it turned out, that I really did.
The reality is that a well-run support group offers camaraderie, information, and a wisdom that comes from so many, all in one place. A support group can show you what is working and what to avoid, doctor information and feedback, available classes that pertain to Parkinson’s, local therapists, caregiver support, Parkinson’s news, and speakers in your area. When you find a good group, it feels like another family and a place that you belong. A strong network of family and friends is crucial to your health and wellness, no matter what the illness.
Some support groups may not match your personality or may not be the kind of group that you feel comfortable with, right now. I wanted a group that focused on the sharing of information and left me more empowered than when I came in. We made a lot of friends, shared both the good times and the rocky times, and provided one-another moral support. Despite our age differences and unique situations, we all learned together and bonded together into a cohesive unit for most of the group’s longevity.
We Are All In This Together
Knowing that you aren’t alone, is so important. Something as small as telling someone that you are thinking of them or that they matter to you can save another’s life. Knowing that people are thinking about you and caring about you is so empowering. Just a simple quick text, an email, a phone call, or a good old-fashioned greeting card can make a huge impact.
Care-giving has its stressful moments. We all need a break. Taking time for ourselves is not selfish-it’s a precious necessity. Your self-care makes you a healthier more helpful contributor.
Helping Ourselves Helps Those Close To Us
Patient or caregiver, there is no shame in admitting that you need help. It takes a strong person to go outside his or her comfort zone. Tell someone close to you what you are feeling and to let them find assistance for you.
I am not an expert on mental health nor am I a doctor. This is not medical advice; it is only what I have seen for over the 30 plus years of having Parkinson’s disease. I have observed friends struggle, who may have benefited from this kind of help. If you see a friend in need, reach out and offer that help. You may be saving a life.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 800-273-8255 or 988 in the USA. Go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_suicide_crisis_lines for an international list of hotlines.
