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A Letter From the Executive Director
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Just in time for spring, many Covid-19 restrictions have been lifted and we’re thrilled that PWP can now operate at full capacity. At the same time, we’re aware that many of our participants are still vulnerable. That’s why we are taking a measured approach to re-opening with careful steps, rather than leaping ahead to full capacity in our ongoing effort to both serve and build our community. As always, we will closely monitor the situation. Our participants’ well-being is our highest priority.
While the pandemic has been trying and frustrating, it has been a learning experience too. We’ve opened up ways to engage with our community that we’d likely not have gone to on our own. That’s why I’m working with our staff and key stakeholders to create a new schedule that will include both virtual and in-person classes as we go forward. We want to make everyone’s experience at PWP the very best and as safe as it can be.
Bailey Martin, Executive Director
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Let’s face it: 2021 was a challenge! As April—Parkinson’s Awareness Month—approaches, let’s all take a moment to pat ourselves on the back. We’ve grown, both individually and as a community through this pandemic ordeal and it is time to re-double our commitment to PWP and to each other.
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My name is Terry Gorsuch. I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2010 when I was living near Cochrane, Alberta. I joined a Parkinson’s group there and I soon realized the importance of a support group. However, there were no nearby organizations that concentrated on the physical—no one offered exercise classes specifically for people with Parkinson’s, and from my own investigations I knew the importance of keeping moving.
When I moved to Victoria in 2012, I was among the first participants at the ParkinGo Society, an organization that Jillian Carson was starting to offer therapeutic exercise to enhance the quality of life for those of us who have Parkinson’s. That small group has grown into the PWP we know today: a one-stop shop for our community.
Not having had PWP’s amazing menu of Parkinson’s resources available in Alberta makes me keenly aware of how important this organization is. Think about everything that’s offered: expert physical assessments, evidence-based exercise classes and activities led by highly-qualified instructors, access to personal counselling, support groups, educational seminars and (sometimes the most important of all) opportunities to socialize with people who understand.
We’re proud of saying that PWP offers all of this without fees but let’s not forget that vital programming like this is not free. And as we extend ourselves even further, costs for the organization continue to rise. To provide fitness classes for one participant costs over $100 a month, a series of counselling sessions for one costs $250, and licensing fees and training costs up to $1,000 a year for each program. PWP’s crucial offerings can’t be “no fee” without a little help.
If you’re already a donor, we all thank you and respectfully ask you to consider increasing your commitment to PWP. If you aren’t currently contributing, we’d ask you to think seriously about supporting PWP. A donation to PWP takes care of ourselves and each other. Please join me in supporting PWP so that these vital services can be offered to everyone in our community.
Terry Gorsuch, PWP Participant
P.S. April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month, but it’s tax time too! Remember that a gift to PWP is fully tax-deductible as you prepare your returns this year!
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Submit your own artwork for our April Exhibit.
As you may know, April is Parkinson's Awareness Month, and the tulip has long been a symbol of Parkinson's disease. We want to cover the hallways at PWP in tulip art created by you or your family.
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What’s important is expressing yourself through tulips, any medium and any level of artistry will be welcomed. Show us your skills! Or lack of skills! We will celebrate it all.
Deadline for submission is March 7. To participate, contact Joan Head, PWP Fine Arts Exhibition Coordinator at head_675@hotmail.com
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Tulip Circle members have made legacy gifts to provide for PWP in the long term. Bequests received through the Tulip Circle are invested into an endowment fund, providing PWP with a stable income stream for years to come. Please consider joining the PWP Tulip Circle today. As a member of the Tulip Circle, you are making a pledge to leave Parkinson Wellness Projects a legacy in your will. Your support will enable us to continue offering our classes and programs free of charge to participants in perpetuity.
There are often substantial tax benefits in this kind of donation. Talk to your tax advisors and financial planners about whether a gift to the Tulip Circle would make sense for you and your estate plan.
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Reflections: A Writing Workshop for Care Partners
This is an invitation to write and tell your stories in your unique voice. Join us online Friday, March 18, 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm as author, Ahava Shira opens a warm and nourishing space to connect, write, respond, and support each other in our process of creative expression. No writing experience is required.
How it works:
- We begin with a short, guided meditation, helping us relax into our bodies and settle into the mood to write.
- Then we put our pens to the page, supported by a prompt to help us reflect deeply on our lives.
- After, we read our words aloud, always voluntarily, and listen to each other in an atmosphere of safety, respect, trust, confidentiality, and non-judgment.
A little bit about our facilitator, Ahava Shira:
Ahava’s passion is creating safe spaces for people to feel seen, heard and valued. Co-author of Writing Alone Together: Journaling in a Circling of Women for Creativity, Compassion and Connection (2014), her poetry collections are the book Weaving of My Being (1998) and CD Love is Like This (2010). In 2010, Ahava received her PhD in Language & Literacy Education from UBC. Ahava has facilitated hundreds of workshops for diverse, multigenerational writers and has edited six anthologies of students’ writing. When not writing, Ahava loves to dance, meditate, make collage, and hike the forests of the island alone and with dear friends. Originally from Montreal, Ahava has lived on Salt Spring Island since 1999. She is a care partner to her husband Gregory.
Speech Language Pathology: Let’s talk about it!
How can Speech Language Pathology support you on your journey with Parkinson's disease? Join us on Tuesday, April 5, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm for a virtual seminar with Speech Language Pathologist (SLP), Jasmine Cload. We will cover everything from the role of Speech Language Pathology in Parkinson's disease, when and how to seek support, and what working with an SLP might look like.
Jasmine is the SLP for the Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders Clinic in Victoria, where she works with Dr. Tuck and Nurse Practitioners to support patients. She has completed training specific to the management and treatment of Parkinson's disease, and related neurological movement disorders. She looks forward to offering this educational opportunity and answering your questions!
*Registration is mandatory. To register please contact PWP at 250-360-6800 or email us at info@parkinsonwellness.ca.
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Remedy Wellness Centre: The Chronic Conditions Program is part of an intern service for patients with chronic health conditions, who need regular treatment, like acupuncture, massage, counselling and physical therapy, but have financial and other barriers that prevent them from receiving care.
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Treatment is offered by specific practitioners who are either new to their profession or are still building their practice, while mentoring under more experienced practitioners. Remedy Wellness Centre believes in being an active part of their local community and sees this program as a great way to provide a valuable and needed service.
Referrals are required and can be obtained through Parkinson Wellness Projects.
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