Session for Parkinson's sufferers, caregivers to be held this weekend

A meeting for people with Parkinson's disease and their caregivers will be held Sunday at The First United Presbyterian Church (the Red Door Church) on Main Street in Oneonta.

The session that runs from 1:30 to 3 p.m. is titled "You and Parkinson's, What You Need to Know." It is sponsored by the Red Door Church and the Butternuts Meeting of Quakers. A free lunch will precede the meeting at 12:30 p.m.

The meeting will gauge if there is a need for such a group in Oneonta, said Jim Atwell, one of the meeting organizers. There are people from the area who come to the same support group he attends at the Presbyterian Church of Cooperstown, which meets at 1 p.m. the second Friday of every month.

With one in 300 people struggling with the disease nationwide, he would be surprised if there weren't more people who could benefit, he said.

Pat Cleary, manager of rehabilitative services at O'Connor Hospital in Delhi, was a coordinator of a Parkinson's support group that regularly meets there the second Thursday of every month from noon to 1:30 p.m.

"There is probably a need in every community," she said, and having one in Oneonta would make it accessible to more people.

Atwell, a 73-year-old Fly Creek resident, was diagnosed with the disease about 4 years ago. As a Quaker, he said he believes "life is a gift to me."

He views the disease as "a later-arriving gift." He said he has been able to do a lot of good for others through his regular Cooperstown Crier newspaper column, a book on the subject titled "Wobbling Home, A Spiritual Walk With Parkinson's," and speaking engagements. As the disease progresses, "all of that will close down for me. For right now, I am doing what I can," Atwell said.

The Cooperstown Crier is a sister publication of The Daily Star.

Parkinson's is a subjective neurological disease that can present its symptoms in different ways, he said. While it is common to have trouble with walking and balance, others symptoms include memory loss, a tendency to stammer and find words to express yourself, he said.

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Session for Parkinson's sufferers, caregivers to be held this weekend