SALEM - People with Parkinson's and their caregivers can learn how others deal with the rigors of the disease and share their own knowledge in a new support group launching at 1 p.m. Sept. 13 at Emmanuel Lutheran Church.
Meetings will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month in the church education building, 251 S. Broadway Ave., which is handicapped accessible and has an elevator.
George and Mary Lou Smearsoll have been living with Parkinson's since George was diagnosed in 1995. He continued working as a machine maintenance mechanic for another year, but retired in December 1996 after the illness made it impossible to keep working. The couple became full-time RVers, traveling to Florida and Arizona for winters and spending summers in West Salem in Wayne County.
They attended Parkinson's support group meetings in both Florida and in Wooster.
"That's where we heard about support groups and how they can help people," Mary Lou said, adding that for them, it was a big help.
"We learned more about the disease and how it affects your life and how to cope with problems."
Fact Box
- WHAT: Parkinson's disease support group meeting
- WHEN: 1 p.m. Sept. 13 (second Tuesday each month)
- WHERE: Emmanuel Lutheran Church Education Building
- ADDRESS: 251 S. Broadway Ave., Salem, handicapped accessible with elevator
They quit the full-time RVing in 2010 because George's health didn't allow him to do it anymore. Now they're living in the Salem area and noticed there was no support group for Parkinson's and decided to start one for Columbiana County and the surrounding area. Their son, Alan, serves as pastor at Emmanuel Lutheran Church and the church agreed to sponsor the group so they would have a place to meet.
"I just felt there was a need here for it, not only for ourselves, but for other people," Mary Lou said.
The group is associated with the American Parkinson's Disease Association and the Parkinson's Disease Foundation, which have provided informational materials for Mary Lou to share with other group members. Each meeting will include a speaker on a topic of interest to members, such as safety in the home or available therapy programs.
Dawna Cramer, a speech language pathologist at Salem Regional Medical Center, will be the speaker at the first support group meeting.
According to the Parkinson's Disease Foundation website at www.pdf.org, the disease is a "chronic and progressive movement disorder, meaning that symptoms continue and worsen over time."
Some of the signs can include tremors in the hands, arms, legs, jaw and face, slowness of movement, stiffness of the limbs and trunk and impaired balance and coordination. Actor Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 1991 and has been battling ever since, setting up his own foundation in an effort to find a cure.
Cramer said she's seen some favorable results with different patients through therapies aimed at helping them overcome some of the difficulties associated with the disease, which affects both walking and talking. One program targets speech and voice and a separate program targets movements through physical therapy.
The support group will include separate breakout sessions for people with Parkinson's and caregivers where they can all talk about their experiences and share information about resources. Mary Lou said the meetings will be a place where caregivers can learn a different way of doing something or get some helpful hints.
"It's good to know you're not the only one going through this," she said.
George said going to a support group helped him out a lot.
Mary Lou said she knows of another couple from church dealing with Parkinson's, but she wasn't sure of what to expect for the first meeting. She's urging anyone dealing with the disease to attend.
Anyone with questions about the support group can call the church office at 330-332-5042.
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