AVILLA , IN— The first-ever Moving Day Community Walk for northeast Indiana will step off Saturday, Sept. 21, at Presence Sacred Heart Home-Ascension Living in Avilla.
The walk will raise funds for the National Parkinson’s Foundation, which works to raise awareness of the disease and invests in research to find a cure.
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive movement disorder known for its resting tremors, limb stiffness, impaired balance and slow movement. The progression also has non-motor symptoms such as anxiety and depression, loss of mental acuity, insomnia and sleep disturbance, constipation and bladder control, vision impairment, dizziness, drooling and loss of taste, sexual dysfunction, sweating, body aches and discomfort.
Symptoms vary for individual patients, so experiences are different for each patient and his or her caregivers. The decline is often over a long period of time, putting stress on patients, families and caregivers.
Therapist Lindsay Gibson, the walk organizer, sees many patients with Parkinson’s disease in her role at Presence Sacred Heart-Ascension Living.
“It’s a terrible disease for both patients and caregivers,” she said. “The decline varies by the person as they have tremors and lose the ability to walk, swallow and communicate.”
Gibson learned that there are no walk events in northeast Indiana that support Parkinson’s awareness, so the Avilla walk is unique. Another Parkinson’s organization holds a walk in Indianapolis, but that organization is not affiliated with the National Parkinson’s Foundation, Gibson said.
Tiffany Fields, director of admissions and marketing at Presence Sacred Heart, also pitched in to help Gibson.
The Moving Day Community Walk will have information booths for various healthcare providers, various vendors, and demonstrations that showcase how therapy is used for Parkinson’s patients. A Movement Pavilion will offer activities by Rock Steady Boxing of Garrett and opportunities to try yoga. Hand massages will be given in the Caregiver Relaxation Area.
“The Parkinson’s support group at Parkview Noble is giving out goody bags,” Gibson said. “Sam’s Club has donated water and snacks.”
Walkers who join the event will follow a half-mile route around the Sacred Heart campus, doing the route twice to walk a full mile if they choose to do that. Gibson said the walk has had great support from staff and residents. Volunteers will push wheelchair-bound residents on the route so that they can be included in the walk.
“The activities department, the therapy department, the neighborhoods and Assisted Living all have teams,” she said.
Gibson said the walk will appeal to walkers and runners who do 5K events, but route is not intimidating to people who want to participate but are not avid athletes.
Walkers and volunteers still have time to join the walk or to donate toward the walk goal of $5,000. So far, $1,304 has been donated online. Donors may also give their donation to a registered walker on the site.
To register as a walker or volunteer, or to donate, go to: CrowdRise.com/CommunityWalkAvilla.
https://www.kpcnews.com/newssun/article_452adcc4-93a7-570d-b4ea-a62891b10546.html
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