Three-part education series on Parkinson’s disease coming to Halcyon House in Washington

A three-part educational series, A Journey Through Parkinson's, will begin at the Halcyon House on Tuesday, June 11.

The free program is being sponsored by the Iowa State University Extension and will consist of three, 45-minute sessions. Each session will discuss a different element to Parkinson's disease.

Dawn Dunnegan, Family Life Specialist with Iowa State Extension, said the program is designed for people who have the disease, are caring for someone with the disease and for anyone from the general public who would like more information.

She said one of the trickiest things about Parkinson's is getting the diagnosis because there is no diagnostic test. One topic they will discuss are signs and symptoms because Dunnegan said people often confuse these with signs of aging.

Dunnegan said the series is geared toward educating the general public and everything will be explained from a research perspective and presented in a way that is palpable to the general public.

'We don't dive into crazy deep medical terminology or scientific things,” she said. 'We hit the high notes because often people get to their positions when they start seeing doctors, the terminology is so large to understand and this is really geared for understanding.”

Each session will focus on different ideas related to Parkinson's and range in topics from symptoms to causes and terminology to exercise and physical activity. Attendance is not required for all three, but strongly encouraged.

Dunnegan said she hopes to see many people at the events because she feels it will help give people a better insight and understanding on what is happening with their health. Meeting other people, she said, is another advantage.

'It also helps us feel not so alone and isolated when trying to deal with this disease,” she said. 'We can also learn from each other and feel a little bit of camaraderie.”

The 'A Journey Through Parkinson's” program will take place Tuesday, June 11, Tuesday, June 18, and Tuesday, June 25, from 9-9:45 a.m. each day in the Marshall Game Room at the Halcyon House. Registration is strongly encouraged, but not required. Anyone with questions or who would like to register may contact Becky Carter at the Halcyon House: 319-653-8453.