At our February 28th meeting, Barry Wickersham gave us information about Shepherd’s Centers in general (there are four in Northern Virginia) and the Fairfax-Burke Center in particular, which serves older adults, providing support services and life-enrichment opportunities for seniors. The support services include:
- Medical Transportation by volunteer drivers at no cost
- Companion Shopping on Tuesdays & Fridays
- Friendly Callers
- Friendly Visitors
- Dementia Caregiver Support Group
The enrichment opportunities include:
- Lunch ‘N’ Life – bimonthly luncheons with entertainment
- Adventures in Learning – spring and fall sessions
There are also opportunities to volunteer as a driver, office worker, educator, etc.
The Fairfax-Burke center is located at 4019 Olley Lane, Fairfax, VA 22032. Programs take place at various member organizations. Tel. 703-323-4788 Email: office@scfbva.org Website: http://www.scfbva.org
There are Shepherd’s Centers of Oakton-Vienna; Annandale-Springfield; MacLean-Arlington-Falls Church; and a new center offering Medical Transportation in Western Fairfax County serving Chantilly and Centerville.
Now Available
Rytary (IPXO66) New Carbidopa/Levodopa Formulation
The National Medical Director of the National Parkinson Foundation, Dr. Michael S. Okun, provided the following information about Rytary, the new medication that a group member asked about at our last meeting. Rytary is different from extended release carbidopa/levodopa.
“It contains special beads designed to dissolve at different rates within the stomach and intestines. The medication capsule was in general designed to provide longer lasting benefit for patients with Parkinson’s disease.” Rytary ” was observed to improve issues in two categories: wearing off between dosages, and improvement by increasing the time interval between dosages.”
For more specific and detailed information, go to National Parkinson Foundation at http://www.npf.org archived blogs “What’s Hot in PD” and consult with your doctor.
Reminder
There will be no regular support group meeting on 3/28 because of the Symposium.
Hello everyone,regarding the Shepherd Center medical travel program, I immediately signed up. An hour or so later, I received a phone call stating that they did not provide services to people who live in assisted living.At the time I never thought of asking whether that applies to any of their other programs.Ginger Pender