@A MyParkinsonsTeam Member -

One thing I have discovered is that many of the people with PD (including my own experiences) have indicated that the physical exercises seem to be more useful to them, but not at the expense of mental sweat.

I would say that the reason for the greater emphasis on physical activity is because it also does wonders for mind and morale - I know I have broken mood swings by a half hour of surgical strikes on the weeds in our garden.for example.

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A MyParki...

An interesting and lengthy thread that certainly seemed to go off track at some points, but excellent all the same - a real conversation, with people going off on tangents sparked by each other's comments. I would add an experience I had while working in the Aid To Families and Dependent Children (AFDC) program a couple of careers ago: Towards the end of an eligibility interview with a client, I had realized that she had been asking me to spell out incomplete items that she needed to fill in. I finally asked if she was unable to read, which she admitted. Asked if she would be interested in learning to read and write, pointing out to her that she already knew the alphabet, could write the letters and numbers, and was smart enough to "fake it" almost all the way through the interview - which took more intelligence than learning to read and write does. She said yes, I made the calls and got the information needed to get her in touch with the literacy program. Six months later, at her semi-annual eligibility review, she left some items empty, and filled them in without any prompting or spelling from me. Moral of the story - it feels good to help others, and sometimes all it takes is a re-framing of the situation to act as a catalyst to get someone to see themselves not as a victim but as a survivor. Thanks @A MyParkinsonsTeam Member for raising the question and to all of you who've extended the conversation - @MyParkinsonsTeam users... and all the others that I am getting too fatigued to list at one time...

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A MyParki...

A MyParki...

A MyParki...

A MyParki...

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A MyParki...

When I'm doing something, I think about that, not PD. Even things that fight PD - I box (non-contact) and completely forget PD, even at Delay the Disease classes which are about PD, I forget PD because I enjoy them. Cooking, being with my family, teaching, whatever I enjoy.

I am constantly on the lookout for movies or documentaries that I think that my wife will enjoy so that she will come into my "Man Cave" to watch them with me. Or I will take my Kindle into the living room and surf the 'Net so that we can be together. I will accompany her on shopping trips (which I detest) because I usually end up with a new item and/or an expedition to a restaurant that we have never tried. When she goes to visit her 94 year-old mother, I will go along only because her mother likes to eat out then go shopping. If where they are shopping does not have Wi-Fi, then I will read a book stored on my Kindle.

There are a myriad of things to do to involve people so that you do not close people out of your life. You just have to work on it and use your imagination.

Dadums56 (Bill Yardley)

My father fought in World War II in the Royal Canadian Navy , When I was a kid he would tell me his war stories I could listen to them for ever . My dad passed away in 1980 and when I was Diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2007 I got to thinking , these stories live only now in my memory . So when I was off work disabled with time on my hands one of the first things I did was write them down, all of his war stories while I was still able . He was on a small escort ship called a Corvette. I remember him telling me what it was like to be escorting a convoy in the North Atlantic in a storm . "I was wet for 16 days" he once told me .Most vets don't talk about war understandability it is too painful, but dad felt it was necessary so it was my job not to let him down...