CEDAR CITY — With April being Parkinson’s disease awareness month, the Southwest Parkinson’s Alliance in Cedar City is offering an informational event featuring two national speakers, as well as representatives from Southern Utah University’s Utah Health Scholars.
The event will take place April 12 at the Cedar City Senior Center, 489 E. 200 South, and is free to anyone who wants to learn more about Parkinson’s, either for themselves or a loved one.
Dan Dail, founder of Southwest Parkinson’s Fitness, was diagnosed with the disease 13 years ago. It is the second most common neurological disorder after Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s impacts as many as 1-2% of people aged 65 and over nationwide, Dail said, with Utah being closer to 2%.
“However, beyond those personally impacted by the disease,” Dail said, “the effect of Parkinson’s is also felt by those in the social circles of the person who was diagnosed – the friends and family, especially caregivers.”
In order to provide information and resources to both people with Parkinson’s and their loved ones, Kristy Spencer, coordinator of the Southwest Parkinson’s Support Group, has arranged for two ambassadors from the Davis Phinney Foundation to speak at the support group’s monthly meeting.
The Davis Phinney Foundation was formed in 2004 by Olympic bronze medalist and Tour de France stage winner Davis Phinney. Phinney, who has achieved more wins than any other U.S. cyclist, was diagnosed with young onset Parkinson’s disease in 2000 and went on to start the foundation with the goal of promoting and funding innovative Parkinson’s research. These days the foundation is considered a leading source of education, resources and inspiration, reaching more than 500,000 people impacted by Parkinson’s.
Foundation ambassadors Cidney and Pat Donahoo will be speaking at the Southwest Parkinson’s Support Group meeting starting at 1 p.m.
Cidney Donahoo was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2010 at the age of 47. She is one of 4% of diagnoses identified as young onset Parkison’s disease. She is a retired educator who got involved with the Parkinson’s community through cycling, an activity she continues to enjoy with her husband, Pat, along with her work at the young onset Parkinson’s support group she cofounded in Las Vegas. She will speak on her experience with Parkinson’s, and Pat Donahoo will talk about caregiver issues.
Spencer said the caregiver topic hits close to home for her, as she was the caregiver for her husband, Bob, who had Parkinson’s for 34 years. She said she was pleased to be expanding the sphere of support group contacts and resources by bringing the Donahoos to Cedar City during Parkinson’s Awareness Month and opening the meeting to everyone.
“You just never know who may be out there with a need,” she said.
Immediately following the Donahoos’ talk, the SUU Utah Health Scholars will be demonstrating fitness activities for people with Parkinson’s at about 1:45 p.m., including stretching and balance exercises and Rock Steady Boxing, both of which are offered at Snap Fitness in Cedar City as part of the Southwest Parkinson’s Fitness program.
Dail said when it comes to Parkinson’s, falls are a serious source of injury, hospitalization and death.
“Stretching and balance exercises not only help reduce the frequency of falls,” he said, “but in a bigger picture, mitigate some of the causes of immobility associated with the disease.”
Rock Steady Boxing, also offered by Southwest Parkinson’s Fitness, is an international program that uses noncombat boxing to counter the effects of Parkinson’s. The forced intensity exercise and novel physical activities associated with boxing give rise to a cascade of events that help sustain the dopaminergic system, which is damaged by Parkinson’s.
Dail said since starting the program, which he has been doing for almost eight years, he has cut back on one of his Parkinson’s medications by 25% and stopped using a cane to get around. He has seen similar results with other program participants. He mentioned a man in the program who took a fall at home, and the man said that if it weren’t for the hand-eye coordination he learned in Rock Steady, the fall could’ve been much worse.
“Another person in the program told me Rock Steady was a godsend,” Dail said, “and a family member of one of our participants said to me, ‘Your program has given me my dad back.’”
Following the demonstration from SUU Utah Health Scholars, refreshments will be served, and attendees will be able to sign up to visit the Snap Fitness facility between April 13-15 and see some of the program offerings.
For more information on Southwest Parkinson’s Fitness, visit the group’s website. For more information on the support group, contact Spencer at 435-559-9681 or [email protected] or Dail at 435-463-7285 or [email protected].
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