Easing feelings of isolation that can accompany a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis is a goal of locals who have launched a support group with that aim in mind. 

“It can be kind of lonely out there,” being around people who don’t understand the everyday struggles of living with Parkinson’s disease, said Potosi resident Nancy Olson. 

According to the National Institute on Aging, the disease “causes unintended or uncontrollable movements, such as shaking, stiffness, and difficulty with balance and coordination.”

“Everything takes longer” as it progresses, said Olson, and people who haven’t experienced it don’t always understand. 

After Olson learned she had Parkinson’s disease, she found out that Rita Steinbach – who she formerly worked with at Platteville School District – had also recently been diagnosed with it, she said.

The two got in touch, and “it was such a comfort for us to get together to talk and share things that we were going through, that we thought maybe it would be good to get (to) more people, to help more people,” said Olson. 

They wanted to pay it forward, Steinbach added, so they began researching opportunities to network with others who have experienced the challenges of living with the chronic condition.

The closest established support group they could find was in Madison, though, said Olson. So they decided to create one themselves. 

Olson reached out to the state and national Parkinson’s disease associations to start the process, she said. 

Before long, she and Rita were printing and distributing flyers and preparing for the first of their ongoing monthly meetings.

They posted the handouts “any place we could think of” where locals may see them, and just “hoped for the best,” said Olson. They ended up having around 10 in attendance for that first get-together, in October 2022. 

Now, “we’re growing slowly,” said Dan Steinbach, Rita’s husband. They currently have 29 people on their mailing list and had around 14 in attendance at a recent meeting.

The support group aims to bring together people who both have Parkinson’s disease and those who help care for people with Parkinson’s disease, said Dan.

“A lot of times [caregivers are] experiencing things that they’ve never experienced either, and need to share them” also, said Dan.

Overall, the goal of the group is to offer all attendees a space where they feel comfortable expressing themselves without judgment in a supportive environment and learn about resources available to them, said Olson.

They get together monthly at Southwest Health in Platteville and have brought in speakers on an array of topics related to living with Parkinson’s disease.

The importance of movement and exercise has been a big topic of discussion so far, said Olson. Ping pong, pickleball, and swimming are some of the exercises they have discussed as being potentially beneficial.

The group has also provided information on a range of treatment options that may not be commonly known. They have brought in professionals to discuss laser light therapy, infusion therapy; and mindfulness and meditation, said Olson.

In the future they hope to address the subjects of grief and loss; coping with progressive illness; and nutrition, said Olson.

They would also love to host a walk to raise funds for Parkinson’s disease, she added. 

Anyone interested in learning more about the group and their events can email psgsww@gmail.com

Those wishing to attend the in-person meetings held the first Thursday of each month can do so without providing notice. The group meets at 2 p.m. in Conference Room A of Southwest Health in Platteville.

The January and February meetings will be held virtually. Anyone wishing to receive a link to these events can message psgsww@gmail.com