I would be willing to participate in events in the western New York
area: Buffalo, Rochester, Niagara Falls, etc.  There must be at least
5 million people right across the border in southern Ontario as well,
(metro-Toronto, etc.) another potential 'market' for your organizing
efforts.  I have no money, but being a musician, I know a bunch of
people, especially in the entertainment field.  Maybe I could be of
service lining up a band or other entertainment for a benefit or media
event.

Hook me up, baby!

Enjoy Fall!
Rick McGirr
Email: [log in to unmask]

----- Original Message -----
From: "meg at parkinsonheartland" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, October 20, 2005 10:38 AM
Subject: Proffesionals Caring for Us - Please Read


> Forgive me if I ramble, but please read this and respond with your
> thoughts.  We here at the Parkinson Foundation of the Heartland have
> this Parkinson Care Series, which is 8 videos and a seriously
> substantial 500 page workbook.  It is designed to train care
> professionals to give optimal care to PWP - and to just better help
> them understand PD, which we all know can be pretty baffling.  The
> professionals recieve CEs for taking the course. At any rate, after
> a year of incredibly hard work, we now have a little over 200
> facilities who are using this product.  These facilities train a
> team as the "go to guys" for all things PD.  Teams have an SLP, PT,
> OT, Dietician, RN, the Administrator, and rounding doc.  So far, so
> good.  Our thoughts on this are many-fold.  We want all care
> facilities to view PD has a market, to give them a reason to offer
> specialized care, and to get them involved with us.  We hope that
> this effort will help the Parkinson community cohese into a more
> subst!
> antial group - one that demands specialized and knowledable care
> professionals, and we hope that individuals and groups will begin
> working with these communities to fundraise and offer improved
> services wherever they are. We are in the midst of surveying our
> Parkinson Proficient Communities to help guage their willingness to
> be sponsors on things like runs, and to offer support, speech,
> exercise, balance etc in their facilities and commnities. We are
> getting really good responses from these guys.  Here is Kansas City,
> our first communties have become both event sponsors - most at
> $2500, and are doing things like free assessments, free balance
> classes, free speech classes, and are hosting some of our support
> groups.  It has truly been a win-win situation. These facilities
> want to know and help PWP!  They are smart enough to see us as a
> market and do what needs to be done to get us engaged.  As these
> surveys come back about what groups are willing to do, we want to
> begin hooki!
> ng them up with folks in their communities for services and $!
> $ or volunteer help.  So, I am asking if you guys want to be hooked
> up with people in your comunities for whatever.  RIght now, I have a
> GREAT group covering Texas, they are wealthy, enagaged and ready to
> meet the community and offer help and services. For some reason,
> niether HAPS or DAPS has really repsonded.  These guys will be
> corporate event sponsors and do what needs to be done! Same deal in
> Arkansas. Our dream is that someday, everyone who has to use
> services, home health, CCRCs, nursing care, rehabilitiation,
> hopsice - will be able to say "Are you trained in how to care for
> me" and if the answer is No, walk away and find someone who is.
> Truly, this is my life's work. If you are interested in hooking up,
> go to our website, www.parkinsonheartland.org and look at the
> Parkinson Proficient Communities.  If there is someone near you who
> would like know and work with, email me and I will get you the
> proper contact name.  We expect to have a good view of this over the
> next !
> couple of weeks, as the facilities respond and let us know what they
> are willing and/or anxious to do!  This is definatly a job for a
> national organization, but we just didn't see it getting done.  So,
> like the little engine that could, we just got out there.  Now, we
> need the help of PWP across the country to ensure that these
> facilities that have signed on see the value, and to be sure that
> every damn facility in the country will see PWP as a force to be
> reckoned with.  We can use your help to get r done.  Let me know
> your thoughts, negative, positive, if you want to help with this
> project, if you think its the worst idea ever.  Thanks so much, Meg
> Offlist, you can reach me at [log in to unmask], or
> 913-341-8828.  I'd also love to see a discussion of this on the
> list.
>
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