PFP’s Father’s Day Gift Guide
In 2013, Dr. Nina Mosier and Susan Stahl founded Power for Parkinson’s in honor of their fathers, two kind and compassionate men living with Parkinson’s. Like many families faced with Parkinson’s diagnoses, Nina and Susan began to research the best ways to help their fathers manage their symptoms.
Through their research, the two discovered a growing body of evidence affirming that exercise is an absolutely essential remedy for Parkinson’s. They also noticed an astounding lack of resources to help people with Parkinson’s receive their daily dose of exercise. This gap in resources inspired Nina and Susan to found Power for Parkinson’s, an organization providing free, fun, consistent, and accessible exercise and social opportunities for people with Parkinson’s.
With Father’s Day around the corner, we are reminded of Nina and Susan’s work to create something that would help people like their fathers live better lives with Parkinson’s, and we are inspired to see so many other organizations and businesses with the same intention. With this in mind, we created this list of thoughtful gifts you could give your dad with Parkinson’s this Father’s Day.
For the fashionable father: Magna-Ready Magnetic Apparel
Parkinson’s can make getting dressed independently more challenging, which can be incredibly distressing for members of our community who have spent their entire lives dressing to impress. Magna-Ready offers fashionable clothes featuring magnetic closures hidden behind classic buttons, enabling individuals with mobility issues to get dressed quickly and easily. These products hold special significance for the PFP team, as they were a favorite of PFP Executive Director Dr. Nina Mosier and her father. Read Nina’s blog about it HERE.
To get 20% of your purchase and to give back to PFP, use the code PFP20!
To help your father walk with confidence: NexStride
If your father struggles with freezing, NexStride could be a game-changer! It’s a small device that provides adjustable laser and sound signals to help people with Parkinson’s re-establish their brain-body connection to walk better. NexStride can be attached to walkers, canes and walking poles and is easy to take on the go.
To get 10% off your purchase of a NexStride, you can use the code POWERFORPARKINSONS
For the footwear fanatic: Sketchers Slip-On Shoes
Our participants have been raving about these shoes. They can be slipped on hands-free, which is fantastic for anyone who struggles with mobility or hand dexterity. At the same time, they provide good support and grip to help prevent injury and keep you exercising. Moreover, they come in different styles and colors so your dad can look cool from head to toe.
For the green dad who likes to clean: Blue Land Cleaning Products
There’s more and more evidence that toxins and chemicals in our environment are contributing to the rise in Parkinson’s diagnoses, including some chemicals that are found in cleaning products. Blue Land offers safe and effective waste-free detergents and cleaning products that you and your father can feel good about using!
Apps like Calm and Headspace provide calming stories, music, and meditation to help relieve stress, anxiety, and insomnia while promoting mindfulness. Anxiety and trouble sleeping are common symptoms of Parkinson’s, and apps like these can be a helpful remedy. Moreover, research has shown that mindfulness and meditation can help people with Parkinson’s improve their symptoms.
For the reader: Ending Parkinson's Disease: A Prescription for Action
If your dad is a big reader, consider giving the gift of knowledge with “Ending Parkinson’s Disease: A Prescription for Action. In this "must-read" guide, four leading doctors and advocates offer a bold action plan to prevent, care for, and treat Parkinson's disease—one of the great health challenges of our time. A follow-up book “The Parkinson’s Plan.” will be available in August!
For the Power for Parkinson’s Fan: a PFP T-Shirt or Ball!
Not to toot our own horn, but we think our T-shirts are pretty cool! Moreover, when you purchase a gift for your father from our shop, all of the proceeds go back to our free exercise classes for people with Parkinson’s. It’s the gift that keeps on giving!
If your father prefers exercising with DVDs or doesn’t have access to the internet, you can also give them the gift of exercise with our workout DVDs!
For the father that loves you: Give them quality time!
It might sound cliché, but at the end of the day, one of the best gifts you can give your father is your time. If you’re looking for something fun to do together, we always recommend trying out one of our classes. However, a nice walk, meal, or phone call is always appreciated.
We hope you find this list helpful! All the products we’ve included today are ones that we’ve tried ourselves and found helpful. If you have favorite gadgets and gifts you’d like to add to our list, let us know at info@powerforparkinsons.org!