One of my favorite, very silly, barely game-games that we play in the Jam for Joy improvisation classes is YOU! One person starts by pointing at another person in the game and saying “YOU!” The person receiving that point and callout immediately finds someone else to point at and say “YOU!” to. There are great variations of speed, vocalizations and physicalizations as we play. At the end of the game I ask participants what they saw, noticed and felt. The frequent responses include: inclusivity, being seen, laughter and being connected.

While playing this game at the PMDA ALL IN summit in Austin, TX, something became clear: playing YOU builds WE. And as we audaciously begin the journey of rebranding Parkinson’s disease (PD) to get the resources we need, we must elevate each other.  One of our many gifted speakers, Dr. Laura Mischley said, “If we’re going to get through this, we’re going to get through it together.” 

One of our key themes of the ALL IN summit was support – both in its definition and how its delivered. I opened my keynote address with the Beatles song: Help! Hearing that bouncy little early hit from the four mop tops from Liverpool in the context of PD and support groups was enlightening. After moving around to the tune and singing it together, I asked the audience to pick out lyrics that may have resonated differently with them in this moment than they had in the past. This one came forward:

When I was younger, so much younger than today

I never needed anybody's help in any way

In truth, this isn’t just a PD issue, this is a human issue – specifically an Aging issue. This is WE. As long as we’re living, we’re aging. The only people who don’t age are dead. And as we’re aging there will be health challenges for all of us. There’s a big difference between staying alive (all due respect to the Bee Gees) and being alive. YOU can stay alive – and your body will fight for its existence. WE can help each other truly be alive, engaging in the world in ways that can surprise and delight us. 

If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. The journey to support and rebranding PD is a long journey, not a fast one. To get there WE must go together. Let us all be brave and wise enough to ask for help!

Join us for improvisation, Cinema Therapy storytelling and so much more at www.yesandexercise.org.

Originally Published on https://www.yesandexercise.org/

Robert Cochrane, PhD Yes, And...eXercise!

Dr. Robert Cochrane is a graduate of UNLV's Integrated Health Sciences department. He's researching the effect of improvisation and storytelling on Parkinson’s disease. He received grants from the Parkinson's Foundation and support from the Davis Phinney Foundation along the way. He is a popular, unique and high energy Keynote speaker, bringing joy, optimism and practical tools for people in the PD community to thrive today.

He has a background in filmmaking, with the Artisan Entertainment release, The Playaz Court, and two Stephen King-based short films among his credits. His father, Dan, was diagnosed with PD in 2001, which shifted Robert’s artistic lens to health. He made his first documentary, the award-winning Boys of Summer in 2004. There are two follow up films in the series with the fourth film coming in 2023.

He moved his family back to Walnut Creek, CA, where he grew up. He lives there with his beautiful wife, two teenagers who are, indeed, "all that" and is a proud care partner for his amazing parents.