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Painting with Parkinson’s

When you hear the words ‘Parkinson’s disease’ you may think of the famous actor Michael J Fox or you may even think of it as ‘the shaking disease’. But The Parkinson’s Disease Foundation estimate that over ten million people over the world are living with the disease.

Parkinson’s ACT runs a program called Painting with Parkinson’s which aims to help people living with Parkinson’s disease through art therapy. The initiative provides sufferers with a creative outlet and a way to meet people who can understand their experiences.

Parkinson’s ACT committee member Margret Healy has been participating in the initiative for four years and she also takes part in the Dance with Parkinson’s program.

Margaret

Margaret says the group is important because “I think when you do something like painting or dancing…. in a way for that particular time, you forget you’re ill”.

Margaret reveals there are a number of misconceptions about Parkinson’s “Like old men with the shaking. It’s just not true at all. There’s a number of young people who don’t have the shakes who have Parkinson’s. There’s a number of people like me who don’t have tremors. There are women who have Parkinson’s.”

Shake it Up Australia report that 32 Australians are diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease every day, but unfortunately there is still no known cure.

At the start of each session the participants are given a ‘trigger’ to inspire their work. This may be in the form of a poem or a piece of music or even thinking back to a favourite memory. The group also occasionally has musical performances from the Canberra Symphony Orchestra and the Australian National University School of Music.

Margaret says the program is all about getting the brush to the paper, “Once you make this first mark somehow or another, you can make another one and another one.”

The group is only provided with the colours red, blue and yellow but when the colours meet the dampened paper you can see all the colours of a rainbow.  Cards and painting

Margaret believes the social aspect of the program is also a vital component to helping someone living with Parkinson’s disease.  “I think you can’t underestimate the social output of all these things because when people get ill, not only with Parkinson’s your tendency is to withdraw from the world”.

There is half an hour before each session when people can chat, have a drink or have something to eat which is made and provided by volunteers.

The group’s work has recently been showcased at the Belconnen Arts Centre in an exhibit called En El Moment: In the Moment. The exhibit also displays the work of a similar group that runs in Barcelona.

Participants pay $5 every session and the rest is subsided by Parkinson’s ACT. The program doesn’t receive any funding and they hold a walk later in the year to raise money. They also raise money by selling cards made out of some of the artwork.

Another unfortunate part of Parkinson’s Margaret says is “You can think I can’t do this or nobody will want me there because I’m too slow or frail or can’t talk straight or whatever. So I think all of these things that bring people out of themselves is so important”

The program runs on Fridays at the Australian National Botanic Gardens in the Banks Building.

For anyone wanting to volunteer or donate to the initiative you can visit Parkinson’s ACT or you can call on 02 6290 1984.

 

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