COLUMBUS, Ohio — Sunday was Parkinson’s Moving Day and in honor of the title, that's exactly what the community gathered to do.

What You Need To Know

  • According to the Parkinson's Foundation, nearly 90,000 people living in the U.S. are diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease

  • Moving Day is an event to shed a light on PD while also sharing the importance of movement to individuals living with PD

  • Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's Disease

The Parkinson’s Foundation in Columbus, along with other community partners, shared resources to individuals living with Parkinson’s disease while also incorporating movement. 

“The one thing we know about Parkinson’s is you’ve got to move,” said Melissa Carlson, owner of pDnextsteps, an exercise wellness program for people living with Parkinson’s Disease. 

Carlson leads the Moving Day participants in some of her exercise moves she teaches at her facility because she knows just how important movement is. 

“Exercise is the only thing that has been proven to slow the progression and at least change the trajectory of people living with Parkinson’s. When you move better, you feel better. You have a better quality of life,” said Carlson. 

She has seen first-hand how exercise can change lives. 

“I have seen people come into my facility using a walker and they’re no longer using a walker,” said Carlson. 

Columbus city council member Nancy Day-Achauer was one sponsor for the event. Moving Day is special to her because her husband is living with Parkinson’s disease.

“It’s really special for us to be able to bring awareness to Parkinson’s, to use my position as an elected official, to bring awareness to something that so few people truly understand,” said Day-Achauer. 

Spreading awareness and moving your body is the goal.

“We really need to bring awareness because there are a lot of people out there with Parkinson’s symptoms and they don’t even know it because they’re not the typical symptoms. So we hope this day will help raise awareness and it’s also a great opportunity for us to be out there and move because movement is what helps us with Parkinson’s symptoms,” said Day-Achauer.