By VASHTI HARRIS
Staff Writer
SPOTSWOOD — Because of an incurable condition that affects as many as 1 million Americans, the Spotswood Office on Aging & Senior Center will hold a monthly support group for people with Parkinson’s disease, their families and friends.
The group will offer support, education and resource information through the sharing of personal experiences with one another, according to the flier for the group.
Each meeting will take place at 1 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month, with the exception of this month’s meeting taking place on March 15, at the Office on Aging, 1 Arlington Ave., Suite 401, according to Beth Blatt, administrative assistant/program coordinator for the Office on Aging.
The late Janine Balazs, who served as the Office on Aging’s director for 22 years, helped spearhead the campaign to establish and create a Parkinson’s support group for local residents who were seeking support.
“I received a call from the late Janine Balazs, who was the director of the office, and she explained that one of the residents in her area has Parkinson’s disease and was looking for a support group. They found one a county over but [were] denied entry,” William said. “As an advocate for people who are living with Parkinson’s, I did not feel that it was right. I reached out to the county to discuss the issue and to have the person brought in just for those services. Needless to say, he was no longer interested, so I took the initiative to start a support group that will allow people from different counties come in for this necessary cause.”
The meetings will be held in conjunction with RWJBarnabasHealth and the American Parkinson’s Disease Association (APDA).
“APDA is a nonprofit organization established in 1961 to ‘ease the burden and find the cure’ on Parkinson’s disease. We are the country’s largest grassroots organizations serving more than 1 million Americans with Parkinson’s disease and their families, focusing its energies on research, patient service, education and raising public awareness,” said Cheylena Williams, program coordinator for the APDA NJ Information and Referral Center at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.
For more information on the support group, call 732-251-3432.
Contact Vashti Harris [email protected].