Friends In Frederick 
Parkinson's Disease Support Group

May 25, 2018
A community educational seminar will be held in Hagerstown Maryland on April 12, 2019. The seminar will feature experts in Parkinson's Disease describing symptoms and treatments. There will also be a "vendor" area where participants can talk with medical professionals about medications, therapies, support groups, exercise programs, and all things Parkinson's.

Presented by the Four State Alliance For Parkinson's Support and Otterbein United Methodist Church, the seminar will run from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Otterbein United Methodist Church is located at 108 E. Franklin Street - Hagerstown, MD.

The Four State Alliance For Parkinson's Support is made up of nine (9) local Parkinson's Disease Support Groups in the Four State area around Hagerstown, Maryland. The Alliance also works with the Maryland Association For Parkinson's Support.

The Four State Alliance is currently accepting applications for Sponsors and Vendors. For information on sponsorships or vendor space, please contact Art Guyer or Dean Cook.

Participant registration will open after the first of the year.

March 23, 2018
Moving Day is more than just a walk. It raises awareness and funds to improve the lives of people living with Parkinson’s disease and advance toward a cure.  This inspiring event brings together people of all ages and abilities for family-friendly fun and activities.  Moving Day highlights movement and exercise as symbols of hope and progress because of their essential role in treating Parkinson’s disease. Take part in a variety of movement activities such as yoga, Tai Chi, boxing, dance, and much more.  Whether you are part of a team or join as an individual, you’ll get a chance to move with hundreds of supporters who share a common goal – to help beat Parkinson’s.

Moving Day is June 2, 2018 in DC and June 9, 2018 in Baltimore.

Our very own Bonnie is part of two teams:

• Bonnie's Boxers in DC --CLICK HERE-- to support or join Bonnies Boxers
• Rock Steady Boxing MDEE --CLICK HERE-- to support Rock Steady Boxing MDEE

March 15, 2018
The Winchester Parkinson's Disease Support Group & Winchester Medical Center's Rock Steady Boxing was featured on WDVM - Channel 25 Hagerstown on March 15, 2018.

--CLICK HERE-- to view the video on the WDVM website.

March 10, 2018
Former NBA player Brian Grant will be the keynote speaker at the annual University of Maryland Parkinson's Disease Symposium on Friday April 13, 2018. The symposium will be at the BWI Hilton * 1739 West Nursery Road * Linthicum, MD 21090. Get moving with Tai Chi, Boxing, Dance, Yoga, and Pickle Ball. Find our about raising your voice with the Parkinsonics. 

Presentations and discussions by the University of Maryland Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorder team including: Lisa Shulman, MD; Joseph Savitt, MD, Phd; Friedrich Rainer von Coelln, MD; Stephen Reich, MD; Paul Fishman, MD, Phd; Michelle Cines, RN, MS, CCRC. 

--CLICK HERE-- to view the Within Our Reach Flyer

--CLICK HERE-- for more information on the Within Our Reach Symposium

--CLICK HERE-- to register On-Line. Registration is $40 until April 1, 2018. $50 after April 1, 2018

January 30, 2018
People with Parkinson's disease (PD) who experience "off" periods, times when symptoms return because medication isn't working optimally, soon may have a new treatment option. Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. recently announced positive Phase III results of under-the-tongue apomorphine, which mimics the effect of dopamine, the brain chemical that decreases in PD.

--READ MORE-- at Michael J Fox Foundation

January 23, 2018

Care partners play an invaluable role in their loved one's journey with Parkinson disease, helping to preform everyday tasks, visit doctors, administer medication, and so much more. Our community knows this can sometimes be challenging and that care partners don't always receive the support they need.

This week, the president took action to address this by signing the RAISE Family Caregivers Act into law. The bill directs the government to create a national strategy to better support the estimated 40 million care partners across the country. Among other things, it aims to provide caregivers with more education, respite care services and resources to navigate working while helping a loved one manage their disease.

--READ MORE-- at the Michael J Fox Foundation website

January 22, 2018
Movement Disorder Education & Exercise, Inc has a new website. MDEE is the local provider of Rock Steady Boxing. They offer fun exercise classes and support to people with Parkinson's. The classes are designed to help reduce stiffness, improve balance and increase mobility. 

Visit their website at --www.mdeecarrollcounty.com--

January 6, 2018

Parkinson Voice Project has developed SPEAK OUT! therapy program to help individuals with Parkinson’s regain and maintain their speaking skills. The primary goals of SPEAK OUT! are to strengthen the muscles used for speaking and swallowing and to teach patients how to speak with intent and deliberation.

Marissa Yoes, M.S., CCC-SLP, a Speech Pathologist at Meritus Total Rehab Care, recently became trained as one of two SPEAK OUT! providers in Maryland through the Parkinson Voice Project. Marissa Yoes may be reached at 301-714-4025

UPDATE: Marissa Yoes will be our guest speaker at our September 2018 meeting

SPEAK OUT!®  is the first step in Parkinson Voice Project’s two-part therapy approach.  SPEAK OUT!® typically consists of twelve individual speech therapy sessions conducted by a speech-language pathologist. Together, the patient and the speech-language pathologist work their way through a series of speech, voice, and cognitive exercises outlined in a comprehensive workbook provided to every patient in the U.S. as a gift from Parkinson Voice Project. Each therapy session lasts 40-45 minutes. The primary goals of SPEAK OUT!® are to strengthen the muscles used for speaking and swallowing and to teach patients how to speak with intent. Once patients complete SPEAK OUT!®, they transition to the second part of Parkinson Voice Project’s program called The LOUD Crowd®.

November 15, 2017
Comprehensive Neurology - 196 Thomas Johnson Drive, Frederick, MD - has added a Movement Disorder Specialist to their staff. Laura Alissa Brosbe, D.O. completed her residency in Neurology and fellowship training in Movement Disorders at the University of Maryland Medical Center. She attended undergraduate school at Boston University and medical school at Nova Southeastern University in Florida.

Comprehensive Neurology appointment number: (240) 566-3130

 The Parkinson's community welcomes Dr. Brosbe to Western Maryland.

UPDATE: Dr. Brosbe will be the guest speaker at the Friends In Frederick Parkinson's Disease Support Group in April 2018

August 24, 2017
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved an extended-release formulation of amantadine (GOCOVRI) to treat dyskinesia in Parkinson's disease (PD). This is the first drug indicated specifically for dyskinesia -- uncontrolled, involuntary movements that can develop with long-term levodopa use.

--READ MORE-- at Michael J. Fox organization

--READ MORE-- about other recently approved therapies for Parkinson's Disease

June 22, 2017
APDA has launched an online support site. Much like a virtual support group. For information --CLICK HERE--

April 12, 2017
In recognition of Parkinson's Awareness month, MJFF CEO Todd Sherer, PhD, penned an op-ed for Scientific American about the current state of Parkinson's disease (PD) research, 200 years after Dr. James Parkinson formally characterized the disease. In the commentary, Dr. Sherer highlights progress from the past two centuries that has brought us closer to a cure -- from the breakthrough discovery of levodopa in 1967, to the momentum generated in the past two decades including key genetic findings and recently approved therapies. While the PD community has tremendous cause for optimism about the advancements toward a cure, we also remain realistic about the work that lies ahead.

--CLICK HERE-- to read the story at Scientific American

March 27, 2017
Larry Zarzecki, a former Maryland State trooper, paced the room at Carroll Hospital, speaking loudly, almost barking, at the dozen or so Parkinson's patients who had gathered for a unique demonstration.

"How many don't think they can box? You don't think you can box?" Zarzecki asked during the Thursday demonstration.
Just one hand went up, that of a man sitting quietly in his wheelchair. Zarzecki didn't hesitate.
"I need a pair of gloves."

Zarzecki is a member of Rock Steady Baltimore, a Timonium nonprofit that utilizes noncontact boxing exercises in an effort to reduce the symptoms of Parkinson's, such as tremor, and improve balance and other functions. "I can attest to this being true because I have Parkinson's myself," Zarzecki said.

--CLICK HERE-- to contact Larry

--READ MORE-- at the Carroll County Times

For more information on Rock Steady Boxing, visit their WEB SITE http://baltimore.rsbaffiliate.com/

UPDATE: New website --CLICK HERE--

Also, Read about Bonnie's Rock Steady Boxing experience in our March 2017 Newsletter.

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March 23, 2017
Researchers at Northwestern University have found that even small amounts of exercise can have an impact on the progression of Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease is a progressive disorder that causes mobility impairment over time, impacting a person's quality of life and eventually leading to death.

The study found that Parkinson's patients who exercised regularly experienced slower declines in mobility and health-related quality of life, or HRQL, over a two-year period.

"We found that people with Parkinson's disease who maintained exercise 150 minutes per week had a smaller decline in quality of life and mobility over two years compared to people who did not exercise or exercised less," Miriam R. Rafferty, researcher at Northwestern University and Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, said in a press release. 

--READ MORE-- At UPI

For more information --CLICK HERE-- on EXERCISE and Parkinson's at the National Parkinson's Foundation

January 3, 2017
New research suggests that people with Parkinson's disease may achieve better and more reliable motor control by taking an experimental drug called opicapone alongside the standard medication levodopa.

A study of several hundred Parkinson's patients found that the drug -- opicapone -- boosts levodopa's ability to control the motor difficulties associated with Parkinson's, said study co-author Dr. Patricio Soares-da-Silva.
These motor problems include tremors, stiffness, and slowed movement.
Opicapone (Ongentys) appears to be an improvement over current treatment options, said Soares-da-Silva. He is director of research and development for the drug's maker, Bial-Portela & Ca. SA, in Portugal.

--READ MORE-- on WebMD

August 2, 2016

With medical marijuana now legalized in 25 states and Washington, D.C., it is obvious that there is strong interest in its therapeutic properties. Researchers are testing marijuana, which they call cannabis, as a treatment for many illnesses and diseases, including neurological conditions, with Parkinson's disease (PD) high on the list. But despite several clinical studies, it has not been demonstrated that cannabis can directly benefit people with Parkinson's. What is the science and pharmacology behind marijuana, and can it be used to treat Parkinson's symptoms?  

--READ MORE-- at the National Parkinson's Foundation

Updated April 20, 2016
Watch the WRC - NBC4 story about Frederick County resident Kimberly Spletter and Focused UltraSound for Parkinson's Disease.

--CLICK HERE-- to watch the video

--CLICK HERE-- for a story from Channel 19 in Charlottesville, VA

--CLICK HERE--for the Baltimore Sun story

--CLICK HERE--for the Frederick News-Post story

--CLICK HERE--for the WHAG - Your 4 State story

--CLICK HERE--to see John Grisham story on CBS about Focused Ultrasound

April 5, 2016
George Callan can often be found walking through Frederick Memorial Hospital with a smile on his face and a friendly greeting to offer. As a Software Solutions and Training Specialist at FMH, George has the right mindset for helping others. Whether it’s related to computer needs and software issues, or more personal topics like coping with a life-changing diagnosis, George tries to maintain a positive attitude.

In 2010, George started to notice changes during daily walks; “I’ve always liked to go for a walk, inside or outside, depending on the weather. During my walks I started noticing that my left foot and left side were becoming weak. It felt like my foot would drop.” 

After almost a year of looking for answers, George was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD) in August of 2011. 

--READ MORE-- at Frederick Memorial Hospital 

March 20, 2016
Check out the story on the front page of the March 20, 2016 Frederick News-Post. --CLICK HERE-- to read the story on the News-Post web site.