Keep Parkinson’s at bay with jabs and crosses
by Katya Lukina
katyal@lwsb.com
Despite the rain, nearly two dozen residents came out to learn more about palliative care and Parkinson’s disease Tues., March 21. Snacks and refreshments were provided by the BrighStar Care. Becky Kohl from BrightStar Care, Johnny Clay and Michelle Sullivan from Apex Homehealth Care Services, and John and Kasha Mercurio from the Huntington Beach Fight Club kicked off the beginning of the Parkinson’s Support Group in Optum HealthCare Center.
The meetings will be held regularly on third Tuesday of the month at 2 p.m. in Optum HealthCare Center Conference Room. People can also attend on the second Tuesday of the month at 11 a.m. at the BrightStar Care Huntington Beach office located at 16052 Beach Blvd., Ste. 129. Kohl asked those interested in learning more about Parkinson’s disease to email her the topics and guest speaker suggestions for future meetings at becky. kohl@brightstarcare.com or call 714-861-4101.
John Mercurio, the head coachandowneroftheHuntington Beach Fight Club, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, spoke of the benefits of boxing therapy for movement disorders and Rock Steady Boxing classes in particular. Rock Steady routines help older adults manage the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Theclubislocatedat15531Computer Lane, Huntington Beach, just five miles away from Leisure World. People are welcome to come and take a first class for free, let their emotions out in a healthy way and connect with other Parkinson’s community members.The club is open seven days a week and offers wide variety of classes for people of ages and physical abilities.
Mercurio added that movements in boxing, just like with Parkinson’s disease, require good coordination, dynamic movements, and a brain body connection. Observational evidence shows that in addition to weight loss, improved strength and movement, some of the Parkinson’s symptoms may regress with a regular physical activity.
Aside from serving the community with developmental, neurological, and mental limitations, the Huntington Beach Fight Club offers other exercises utilizing free weights, encouraging people to perform unfamiliar, complex movements.
Mercurio ended his presentation with a Q& A session and a boxing demo with the club’s longtime member and instructor assistant, Angela Forney. In 2022, Angela, who is also a certified personal trainer, and her husband, Dave Forney, from Mutual 2, volunteered with the club’s enrollment expansion and have been loyal members ever since.
For more information on the Huntington Beach Fight Club, visit https://hbfightclub. org or call 714-487-2082, or email Kasha Mercurio at kasha@ hbfightclub.org. People can also follow it on Instagram: @ hbfightclubinc.
Johnny Clay and Michelle Sullivan from Apex Homehealth Care Services spoke of the benefits of palliative care and the resources available to older adults that are covered by Medicare. Apex provides convenient and lower cost services including skilled nursing staff, certified home health aide, physical, occupational and speech therapy, nutritional guidance, medical equipment, medical social worker, and pharmacy services. Clay highlighted a correlation between the Apex clients, boxing, and behavioral health, such as depression, that comes with Parkinson’s disease. He noted that people with dementia and Parkinson’s need to keep moving daily to preserve as much functionality as possible. New and repetitive movements used in boxing, dancing, playing ping pong or even singing can make living with Parkinson’s disease easier.
Sullivan added that palliative care is one step before hospice, whereas people can still seek therapy and treatments that hospice won’t cover. In a way, she referred to it as home health on steroids. Every case is managed by a nurse with documented visit and a mutual goal to keep people out of the hospitals.
“The way to mitigate the fear of going to a boxing class is to join the community of people fighting the same fight as you are. It gives you the sense of solidarity and can be very inspiring.”
—Dave Forney, Mutual 2
John and Kasha Mercurio, Huntington Beach Fight Club.Photo by Katya Lukina
