Dr. Irene Litvan of University of Louisville's Division of Movement Disorders has an ongoing study dealing with early-stage Parkinson's disease for those not receiving treatment. Contact Annette Robinson at 502-540-3585 for further information.

Consider attending the free seminar about "extra help" and Medicare D Drug Coverage at the Kling Center this Tuesday, December 8th from 10-11:15am. Service providers, care partners and Medicare recipients are all welcome. No RSVP required. The guest speak is Kathleen Beyer with Social Security (she's a tremendous speaker!). Jinn will be attending. Remember, too, that if you need help seeing if your current Medicare Part D plan is the cheapest one out there, you can call Jinn at 502-426-0888 to schedule an appointment to review your plan (this can be done by phone). Several people have taken advantage of this free service from PSCKY!

Do you get the winter blues? You may want to attend this free workshop at Norton Suburban Hospital on "Winter Blues: Preventing Seasonal Affective Disorder." The class will be held Thursday, December 10th from 6-8pm. To register: call 629-1234.

The weather is changing and it's time to prepare for weather emergencies.  We all remember floods and recent winters when we've had to leave our homes extremely quickly.  Michael Profumo with the Red Cross spoke to a support group about things to think about to be prepared for an emergency.  One issue that got everyone's attention was the need to have copies of legal and medical information (wills, living wills, durable power of attorneys, medical history, results from x-rays, lists of medications and diagnoses) available to grab quickly when exiting your home.  Most of us keep these documents on our computers so that we can update them as needed.  So how do we gather all this information in a small, portable form?

The 911 Medical ID Plus Family USB Data Card could be the simple way to get all your important information compactly in one place.  This card is about the size of a credit card, so once all your information is downloaded onto the card, you can carry it in your wallet.  Ten family members' health and legal information can be included on each card and includes an area for you to put your legal documents, and other files from your doctors.  David Autin, a person with Parkinson's, tested this card on his computer and told us, "everyone needs one of these; even my 28-year old son!"

Remember, it is imperative to keep medical information easily accessible at a moment's notice.  This card is very easy to use and could save your life in an emergency. It's an inexpensive tool at $33.99.

Want to know more? Visit the website or call Rebecca Jenkins at 502-645-3815. Should you decide to purchase, make sure to give them this discount code: PSCKY; the organization has agreed to donate $5 to PSCKY for every card purchased with this code!

To avoid confusion, PSCKY follows a simple weather-closing policy for its support groups, exercise groups, office and other meetings.

If the public schools are closed in a county, PSCKY events for that day, in that county, are canceled. For example: if schools in Shelby County are closed on a Monday, there will be no 6pm Shelbvyille "Moving On" class that evening. If Jefferson County Public Schools are closed, all Jefferson County events for that day are canceled. We will post such cancellation notices on our outgoing message at our offices as well: 502.426.0888.

Be safe this winter! We've included a few "tools you can use" in this issue to help you stay safe!

The "Creativity and PD Exhibit" at WPC 2010 will be housing the first-ever global Parkinson's Quilt Project and is open to anyone touched by PD who wishes to design a panel to be included in this unique project. Registration opened December 1st and space is limited; we encourage you to register to make a panel as soon as possible.

Does the thought of walking in winter weather give you the shivers as you think about falls? You might look into YakTrax. This funny-sounding traction device slips over your shoes and doesn't have nasty spikes that make the transition from slippery outdoor weather to the inside of your house a bother. Jinn discovered these last year when she was teaching a Falls Prevention course. If your kids are wondering what to get you for Christmas, this might be the answer!

You might be interested learning more about the NextStep walking aid. The device extends from the base of a walking cane; when freezing occurs, it provides an obstacle to step over, thus beginning the walking process. If anyone has tried one of these devices, we'd appreciate you sending us a "product review" to share with others.

PSCKY is now on Facebook! Please "become a fan." Thanks to everyone who's joined up so far!

The newly expanded Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center has opened in Phoenix, Arizona.

This article from the Presbyterian Church USA has some excellent links for caregivers at the bottom. We especially like "Tips for Care for the One Who Offers Care--YOU!".