I believe we can and we will make a difference. You. Me. Us. …. Parkinson’s has been with us 203 years, now it’s our time to shake Parkinson’s once and for all.

Larry Gifford

As we say goodbye – and good riddance – to 2020, here are a few New Years resolutions for the coming year.

Join PD Avengers

A group of Parkinson’s advocates started this movement in July 2020 to make the world more aware of the “runaway freight train” that is Parkinson’s. It is the fastest growing neurological disease, reaching pandemic proportions. PD Avengers has a goal of signing up 1,000,000 Avengers by 2022. Right now, 1761 people have signed up, so we have a long way to go. If every one of you reading this today signs up and recruits 5 more people, we can add 15,000 to the ranks. The more people who join the movement, the louder our voice will be as advocates for people with PD. Go to https://www.pdavengers.com/get-involved to learn more about it and to sign up. Watch this video from Larry Gifford, one of the founding members.

Get vaccinated

Talk to your doctor about getting the vaccine for COVID-19. Parkinson’s Disease puts us in a higher priority group for getting the vaccine. One of the unfortunate side effects of COVID-19 is Parkinson’s like symptoms. This will add to the rapidly increasing numbers of People with Parkinson’s that Larry has talked about.

Exercise

You don’t have any excuses to stop exercising because your gym closed and your Parkinson’s exercise classes no longer meet in person. There are still many options available to you. Most of our boxing and yoga classes are now available live online and you are not limited to what is offered locally. You can find so many different classes on line that fit your schedule. If you like to work out at 3:00 am, I am sure you can find something. If you have not been exercising, look for Parkinson’s specific classes so that you do not hurt yourself.

Learn something new part 1

Most of the Parkinson’s organizations have stepped up their efforts to provide quality programs using Zoom or other platforms, most at no cost to the attendees. Hear from top doctors and researchers from around the world about the latest research and treatments, attend exercise classes, support groups and more. All you need is a smartphone, computer or tablet to participate.

Learn something new – part 2

Learning a new skill is great for your brain. You are stuck at home for a while, so take advantage of having the time to do things you always wanted to do. Cooking classes are plentiful. Learn to play chess, bridge or other games online. Have you dreamed of learning a new language? Now is the time to finally make it happen. A quick search on the internet will help you find anything you want to learn.

Combat loneliness

Reach out to friends you haven’t seen or spoken to since March. Email is great, but it doesn’t make up for actually talking to someone. Call a different person every day to see how they are doing. Everyone has responded differently to the threat of COVID-19. Some of our friends have not been out of their homes in months, so we try to talk on a regular basis since we cannot get together.

Get together with friends and family virtually

We recently started family video chats with my sisters and our children and grandchildren, who are scattered around the country. It was so nice to see everyone together and they are all eager to join in the next call. If you want to have a party with friends, there are a lot of fun interactive games you can play together on Zoom. Get creative and have fun.

Make it SMART

My friends Lauren and Tom at PD Buzz have written about how to make your resolutions work for you using SMART goals. You can read about it here.

On a personal note, I want to thank all of you for your support. This blog will mark it’s 6th anniversary in March. When I started, I never dreamed that it would still be going strong 6 years later. So my last resolution is to keep finding things of interest to share with you and write about as we all continue on this journey with Parkinson’s Disease together. Stay safe and stay healthy as we start this new year. Happy 2021!