Connections and Learning New Things
Learning New Things
Stretching your brain, learning new things is supposed to be very good for everyone, but in particular for people with Parkinson's. So, thanks to my daughter-in-law's great research skills, I am learning about ADHD from a book called “Thriving with Adult ADHD” by Phil Boisseriere, MFT. In it, in one of the chapters, he has exercises and tips for your working memory which are good for anyone who is having trouble remembering things. Don't you wonder if it is just plain aging or Parkinson's?
My husband and I have started working with an app to learn French. “Tish, when you speak French, it really drives me wild.” “Tish that's French” anyone remember the Addams Family?
We also watched 2 videos on how to Tango-we were told it is a very good form of exercise for people with Parkinson's. I am learning everything in small 10–20-minute bites. I not sure about learning how to Tango. Mostly I find myself thinking “I'll never be able to do that.” (I have kept a fortune cookie paper that says “They can because they think they can” on my desk for years. Huh???) I have always been a 2 left feet kind of girl, even as a budding actress in my youth. At The Goodman School of Drama, so we could keep up with the rest of the dance class, our teacher, used to teach me and my friend Eric, the dance routines, at lunch time, before our class learned them. And we know how well that worked, right Eric?
All of these new thoughts are made possible by other people.
In the end, life is about being there for each other.
I like her, but sometimes, I seriously want to throw things at her. Exercises that are good for your brain, drive me nuts. In the “Low Intensity “session, she has you move your feet back and forth, while at the same time twirling your pointer finger in a circle and then you add in moving your tongue in a circle. You try it, it's hard. And this is the easy session, you should try the intermediate session or her juggling one! Kim juggles with soft toys, we had socks. We were throwing socks at the computer and laughing!
Free online
Parkinson’s exercise classes at the Parkinson's Foundation website. Find Kim here.
(I think the juggling session was
one we found on youtube.)
Parkinson's Disease Exercises: LSVT LOUD Vocal Therapy
Nancy and the Snark
Nancy, learning French is something I have tried to do many times and have never stuck to. It is still on my list. Maybe you can teach me some fundamentals? Love the sound of the "Get Loud Therapy" (no pun intended). I may check it out. How things have changed from when my father had Parkinson's. The internet wasn't something he knew anything about. I think it would have been supportive to have a community with which to connect. Glad it's there for you. And that you are continuing to share your journey with us. Thank you, girlfriend!
ReplyDeleteThank you Amy! We have lost our momentum on the French. Hopefully w ewill get back to it. Maybe if we watch some French films we will get going again.
DeleteMy mom did a couple of months of speech therapy, and I remember her saying how silly it felt to do the exercises. But hey, if silly speech therapy and clumsy juggling get you laughing, it's good medicine IMHO!
ReplyDeleteYep, laughing (especially at yourself) is definitely good for you.
DeleteI keep trying to learn Diné (Navajo) but lose momentum too. I love the sound of the language and learning more about Diné culture.
ReplyDeleteI think learning a language out of context , when you are unlikely to use it does not provide the motivation. Even living in SPain where Spanish is pretty essential, there is a limt to the motivation to drive you to the next level . And a tendency to reach a level where you can get by and not much more. There must be loads of things that are useful that can tax the brain and of course are enjoyable. Thanks for the link to Speech Therapy
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