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Good Morning - I don't know where to begin. Mom was diagnosed several years ago with Parkinson's. Since then she's had her 104 year old Mother-in-Law living with her and Dad (we've been helping as much as we can, 2 potty runs a day/7 days a week since Grandma won't walk anymore and putting her to bed). They can't find anyone to come in and do home care for Grandma. Mom has cracked 2 vertebrae in her back and they're talking about operating, Dad's back needs an operation, Dad's sister has Leukemia and he's the only perfect match (bone marrow and stem cells) (but that's a whole NIH mess), I've been dealing with (and beating) my own cancer deal and my sister is pretty much carrying us all around on her shoulders. Yesterday the Dr. decided that the reason Mom can't walk without a walker anymore isn't because of her back, but because her Parkinson's has progressed to give her a shuffle. I've tried to get her to join a support group as things have gotten worse and more complicated and her temper has gotten shorter and she's gotten more stressed. We hardly recognize her as the mother we've always had. Her mind is starting to slip and she's not remembering things the way she always did. She won't join a group, says she doesn't want to talk to a bunch of strangers. I've tried to explain how it works and how much it's helped me, but she can't hear me. I guess that's where the advice part comes in, how do you convince someone that they'll be happier and feel better if they'd just join a group. And also, does anyone know how I could find one in the Baltimore/DC/Maryland area. Maybe if I started going I could get her to come along. Everyone is so stressed at this point we're all really just feeling weary from the struggle that is everyday. I just want to make things better for everyone and just being there isn't enough anymore. Any thoughts about dealing with any of this would be ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn greatly appreciated. Thanks - Martha