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Hello. My mother, Emily, was diagnosed with Parkinson's 14 years ago, and Lewy Body Disease 5 years ago. 12 years ago I knew nothing about PD, and turned to this list, getting a warm welcome from Camilla Flinterman. As a caregiver I've found the most difficult thing about this disease is the unknown...what symptom will crop up next, what drug will work (or not). Although I rarely post, this list has given me a grounding over the years in an otherwise slippery slope. Several years ago I wanted to find something for my mother to do with her hands, which were beginning to contract. Through my local support group, I found an artist who had been working with Alzheimer's patients. We ended up having a small group of PDer's paint at my house every week for a couple of years. One thing led to another, and now we have a weekly Expressive Arts program facilitated by one of the founders of the Ringling College of Art and Design's Art and Healing certificate program. Just recently an article was published about the program, with interviews focussed on an 85 yr old WWII vet with PD who paints with us. It's a succinct testament about how Expressive Arts can help. Here's the URL: http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20080925/ARTICLE/809250365/2055/NEWS?Title=Painting_a_sense_of_self_control There's also a short video clip on this webpage that shows the Touch Drawing technique that's used. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but we've found it helps calm tremors, focus attention, and help with depression. One thing monitoring this list for years has taught me, is we need all the tools in our arsenal we can get to accommodate this disease one day at a time. I thought maybe this might help someone out there as it has us. Susan Jackewicz Caregiver for Emily 83/14 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn