Parkinson's: Creative Play
Creative PLAY
It's been a hard couple of
weeks with lots of insomnia and trying new ways of dealing with it. And to add
to the stress- way too much Parkinson's info coming in. My emails have become a bit swampy with an
ever growing flotilla of Parkinson information and me jumping into every sink
hole... . Does that happen to you?
Last week it was two, 4 hour
symposiums. One was good and the other one- Was Awful.
What was I thinking? I wasn't.
But to follow this weeks theme of Creative Play, we shall talk about the
good one.
This is what they had to say about their symposium: Everyone who lives with Parkinson's disease (PD) understands just how complex symptom management can be. Together with your community, including care partners, friends & family, learn about strategies available for managing the intricacies of PD to help bolster quality of life, reduce stress and maximize well-being. (That's a thought I can appreciate. So into the sink hole I went.)
The first speaker talked about
nutrition. Nothing new-
• What you eat is important for your mental and physical
health
• Best to go with the Mediterranean Diet
• Half your plate should be fruits and veggies,
Olive oil rules,
• Minor portions of fish and chicken
• Cleve to the mighty bean and seeds and vegetables
• Say Nay to sweets and processed foods.
He taught our very own Dancer,
the delightful Jill Becker, to dance/play with us. We meet on Wednesdays at
2. It's FREE! And anyone with
Parkinson's and their care partner can join in person or over Zoom. if you need help getting
registered, call the Senior Center at 937-767-5751.
David said “Most people say I can't Dance.” (Yep, that's me.) Then he said “can you do this?” He demonstrated a little hand motion, like our hands were diving into the ocean.
• Yaaa, we could do that. We did it a couple of times.
• He told us to think of it as a story. This motion was
dolphins diving into the ocean.
• He kept slipping in, through the other parts of the
story, little foot motions and more little hand motions for us to do.
• And then he
added music to it.
We found ourselves laughing
and playing and Yes!- Dancing, With
David coaching us the whole way, it was easy and fun. It was perfectly splendid!
The last speaker for that symposium was important, but not talking about a play activity. He was talking about palliative care and how his group was fighting to get palliative care for everyone with a neurological disease, starting at day one with your diagnosis.
“Benzi M. Kluger, MD, MS, FAAN is a pioneer in Neuropalliative care, a field dedicated to the radical idea that improving the lives of persons affected by neurological illness requires seeing and treating them as whole people. He is constantly looking for opportunities to undermine heartless systems through subversive kindness.”
He was a very interesting speaker, talking about a subject that I hadn't thought about. But I think would be worth while for everyone to think about. He wasn't talking about Palliative Care as only an end of life service, like I tend to think of hospice. He felt it was the part of care that Doctors tend to ignore. The part that listens to your fears or worries, physically, mentally and spiritually, and helps you with that and also with your pain management.
“Dr. Kluger created one of the first team-based Neuropalliative care clinics in
the world at the University of Colorado. His research focuses on
Neuropalliative care, fatigue, and neurodegenerative illness (e.g. Parkinson’s
and Alzheimer’s disease) with some brief excursions into other areas including
nutrition, acupuncture, and cannabis. “
(As someone who has tried
acupuncture and just lately cannabis in
my search for help for my insomnia, I thought the last statement was
interesting. For the first time, in this last round of doctor visits, my
doctors had both mentioned medical marijuana being an option for help for sleep
and pain.)
“Dr. Kluger is currently a Professor of Neurology and Medicine and the founding director of the Palliative Care Research Center
Two other creative play classes that have shown up in my e mail swamp lately, are Playing the Harmonica and an Improv Class.
“Harmonica: A Breath of Fresh
Air - Virtual Music Class”
“This class includes guided
harmonica practice and play for People with Parkinson’s disease and their Care
Partners. This class is designed for non-musicians and musicians alike to
ignite the love of music, inspire you to learn a new instrument, and address
common symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.”
Pam Richardson, is the
teacher. I had taken her “Speaking with Purpose” class before, She is a
splendid teacher, who really cares for those she works with.
• I have a harmonica.
I had been eyeing it for years now, thinking that someday I would learn
to play it. WOOHOO! Thursday is the day!
• If you are
interested or have Questions: Email pamilyn.richardson@osumc.edu
Then there is the Improv
class: I signed up for e mail blasts a
while ago, but haven't tried it....yet.
“Improv for Wellness is
about playing games and having fun. It’s not about being funny or memorizing
scripts. The improv games and laughter we share in this multi-week class, have
tremendous therapeutic benefits. Come play in a space that is free of judgment
or fear of failure, making it an ideal environment for people who struggle with
anxiety or physical impairment. A great way for all ages and abilities to let
go, laugh and meet fun friends.”
Classes are safe, fun, and on Zoom
WHEN: Saturdays (11:00
am) Zoom opens at 10:45 am
COST: Free
INSTRUCTOR: Margot Escott, LCSW
EXPERIENCE: No experience
is needed. Just come and have fun.
Join us for our free Improvisational Theatre Games for persons with PD
and their Care Partners on Zoom. You don’t have to want to be a performer on
stage to learn improv games and have fun! In this class, you will learn
improvisational theatre exercises that benefit emotional, physical, and
spiritual well-being. After this class, participants find their stress levels
have decreased while their laughter life increased!
Registration and question:
MargotEscott@mac.com or (239) 434 – 6558
Margot Escott, LCSW is a psychotherapist/improviser.
That's all folks,
Nancy and the Snark
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Footnotes from Corrine: Everything sounds so interesting. I look forward to hearing all about your adventures and you play your harmonica. Love Moi
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