Parkinson's disease movement problems can be treated

FALLBROOK – The Fallbrook Parkinson’s Support Group will hold their monthly meeting, Friday, Jan. 24, from 10 a.m. to noon. The meeting will be held in the Fellowship Hall of Christ the King Lutheran Church, 1620 S. Stage Coach Lane, in Fallbrook.

The meetings are held the fourth Friday of each month. The guest speaker this month is Sherrie Gould, a movement disorders nurse practitioner at the Scripps Clinic Center for Neurorestoration in La Jolla.

Her passion is empowering people with Parkinson’s disease, and she leads trips around the globe for her patients with Parkinson’s disease to Mount Kilimanjaro, the base camp of Everest, Machu Picchu, Peru and the Camino de Santiago in Spain, and she is presently organizing a trip to the Italian Dolomite Mountains in 2020.

All of her treks raise money for Parkinson’s disease research or community resources for people with Parkinson’s disease. She was awarded the Health Hero Award in both 2011 and 2013 for her commitment to the Parkinson’s disease community.

The topic she will be discussing is titled “Movement Problems in Parkinson’s disease.” It will focus on dyskinesia and Gocovri, the first and only Food and Drug Administration-approved medication indicated for the treatment of dyskinesia in patients with Parkinson’s disease receiving levodopa-based therapy. Visit http://www.gocovri.com for additional information.

The Fallbrook Support Group announced that it has a new co-leader coming on board, Caryl Bonnell, a staff research associate for University of California San Diego. Bonnell has served as the study therapist delivering interventions to the caregivers for the past three years.

Bonnell received her master’s degree in social welfare from University of California Los Angeles and has worked in mental health research for the past 15 years. She is dedicated to improving caregiver mental health and physical well-being and enjoys serving the communities of Fallbrook and North County where she has lived most of her life.

Breakout groups will be held for a time of sharing. Coffee and refreshments follow the program.

The meeting is held in support of people with Parkinson’s disease, care partners and people interested in improving the world of those affected by Parkinson’s disease. Fallbrook Parkinson’s Support Group is an affiliate group of North County Parkinson’s Support Group. For more information, visit http://www.NCPSG.org or call Irene at (760) 731-0171 or Vicki at (760) 728-7117.

Submitted by Fallbrook Parkinson’s Support Group.