New Parkinson’s support group looking for base

A support group for local people living with Parkinson’s disease is on the lookout for a base for its meetings. Mullingar Parkinson’s Group evolved out of a six-week block of classes in the Primary Care Centre for people living with the condition.

David Barton and Richard Flynn are coordinating the new group. Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner at an awareness raising coffee morning hosted by Atlantic Care at their Pearse Street offices last Thursday, David said that while at present the newly formed group’s activities are limited to meeting up for a coffee and chat every week, members “are looking for ways to take it forward”.

“We are a social group looking for a home. Exercise is really important. We’d like to find a gym that we could use, or a room that we could use for a gym. Several members are involved in boxercise, which is every Monday morning here in Mullingar. We’d like to expand on that.”

Richard Flynn says that when it comes to supports for people with Parkinson’s, rural Ireland lags behind Dublin, and that is one of the main reasons having a local support group is so important. “Much of the country has no support for people with PD – we are hoping to organise something, but the scope of it has to be worked out. We’ve got the names of 20 people with Parkinson’s and also 20 carers.”

Studies have shown that regular social interaction and exercise have a positive impact on Parkinson’s symptoms.

Before they retired, David was a scientist, and Richard was an engineer. Richard says that it is good to be able to put some of the skills they acquired during their professional lives to good use.

“We have great experience and it would be a pity that it would go by the wayside just because of Parkinson’s, or because we have retired.”

General manager Mick Garvin says that Atlantic Care is delighted to have been able to hosted the coffee morning for the group, as a number of its clients are living with Parkinson’s.

“We got in contact with David because Parkinson’s Awareness Week was this month and we decided that we’d like to work with them and help them raise some funds and awareness.

“A number of our clients would have Parkinson’s and we wanted to give back and help the community.

“Jonathan Acton is one of the founding members of Atlantic Care and he is all about giving back. It’s about what we can do help, both with our home care, and the different support groups in the area.

“That’s what we say – we are here to enhance the lives of the people who are our clients and the wider community.”

• For more information on Mullingar Parkinson’s Group, email: pdmullingar@gmail.com.