Columbia Parkinson's Support Group-SC

06/09/2026

Carol Baker and Karen Basso at our table at the UPLIFT Resource Education Day Event on Saturday, June 6, 2026. We had some good conversations with quite a few people, and handed out our brochures.

05/28/2026

Special Meeting – Columbia Parkinson’s Support Group Sunday, June 7, 2026

3:00 PM to 5:00 PM

Lexington Medical Park I Auditorium
2728 Sunset Blvd.
West Columbia, SC 29169

Many of our members have asked us to have a meeting focused on depression and apathy. Dr. Phil Stuede, with over 40 years as a board-certified psychiatrist, will lead our discussion at a special meeting on June 7, 2026.

Did you know there are 5 types of depression?
• Learn about treatment approaches
• Learn what you can do at home
• Recognize depression in your spouse
• Being supportive in healthy ways

Dr. Stuede will speak briefly on these topics, and then interact with you about specific concerns or questions you may have about depression or apathy in yourself or your loved one.

Dr. Stuede has practiced in the Columbia area, being well-versed in traditional psychiatry, medication management, and a leader in transcranial magnetic stimulation. He has been interested in how medicines work, not just what seems to work, and in his practice, enjoyed psychotherapy, including a focus on how depression can affect one’s faith.

Dr. Stuede is currently retired, with a strong interest in gardening and his grandchildren.

05/11/2026

Columbia Parkinson’s Support Group Meeting - May 17, 2026
3:00 to 5:30 PM - First hour or so will be for our speakers, then free time to talk with one another and go through our resource table.

Location: Lexington Medical Park I
2728 Sunset Blvd.
West Columbia, SC 29169

Free and always open to all with an interest in Parkinson's Disease.

TOPIC: Veterans and Parkinson’s Disease

• Parkinson’s Disease as a “presumptive condition” for veterans, and why. Presumptive conditions are exempt from the standard proof requirements for service connection.
• Support for veterans through community groups.

Our first and main speaker is Joy Kinney, MSR CCC-SLP.

Joy Kinney is a Speech-Language Pathologist specializing in the treatment of adults with neurological disorders, including communication, swallowing, and cognitive symptoms of Traumatic Brain Injury, Stroke, Parkinson’s, and the after-effects of COVID-19. She treats adult patients and has worked in and directed therapy programs in skilled nursing and rehabilitation facilities, as well as in the settings of home health, the acute care hospital, and outpatient therapy. She has presented at the national and state level regarding various treatment techniques, and she frequently discusses brain health during her treatment sessions.

Ms. Kinney is a member of the Board of Directors of the Columbia Parkinson's Support Group, and also a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. She is fully licensed to practice Speech-Language Pathology in the states of South Carolina, Florida, and Georgia. Ms. Kinney is a 2005 graduate of the Medical University of South Carolina with a Master of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders, and a 2003 graduate of Columbia College of South Carolina with a Bachelor of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology. She holds the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

Contact: Joy Kinney MSR CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist/Owner
Speech-Language Pathology Associates of South Carolina, LLC
3710 Landmark Drive, Suite 108
Columbia, SC 29204
www.slpassociatesofsc.com
Telephone: 803-766-4723
Fax: 803-761-985
Email: [email protected]

Our second speaker is Nikki Allmann, Founder and President of Workout Warriors, where she provides holistic fitness and wellness programs for Veterans and Active-Duty Service Members, and First Responders with PTSD.
Nikki Allmann is the visionary founder and President of the Workout Warriors Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting military personnel, veterans, and first responders dealing post-traumatic stress, through holistic fitness and wellness programs. With an impressive 22-year career in the United States Air Force, include five combat deployments, Nikki has firsthand experiences of the unique physical and emotional challenges faced by those who serve.

After her retirement, Nikki pursued her passion for health and healing by earning a Bachelor of Science in Health and Wellness from the America Military University. She continued her professional development at the University of Health and Performance, where she gained advanced skills as a Wellness Professional. Nikki is also a Board-Certified Wellness coach, an ISSA Certified Personal Trainer, and ACE Certified Personal Trainer, and a CrossFit Level 1 coach.

Through Workout Warriors Foundation, Nikki has built a supportive community dedicated to helping others find resilience and strength in mind, body, and spirit. Her mission is to provide a pathway to wellness and offer resources and guidance for those seeking balance, strength and healing.

Contact: Nikki Allman
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: (318) 560-1659

Speech therapist for adults Columbia, SC: Speech-Language Pathology Associates of South Carolina, LLC-Improve memory, speech, and swallowing with speech therapy for stroke, traumatic brain injury, disease, or surgery.

05/05/2026

Valuable information.

05/05/2026

We had an excellent Parkinson's Patient/Care Partner Symposium this past Saturday, in spite of the rain. We thank our wonderful sponsors:

Platinum Presenting Sponsor: Medtronic
Valet Parking Sponsor: Hobbs Group Advisors

Gold Associate Sponsors:
AbbVie
Amneal
Lutheran Homes of SC
Oakleaf Village of Lexington
Right at Home
Trek Physical Therapy & Assistive Applied Sciences

Silver Sponsors:
Acadia
Assisted Living Locators of Greater Columbia
Carolina Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine

And our Anonymous Food and Beverage Sponsor who donated in loving memory of Thomas E. Davis and Roberta Derrick

We also had Leeza’s Care Connection with us. They provide Parkinson’s care partners with a free twice-a-month support group.

We also thank our great panelists:
Dr. Erwin Z. Mangubat, Chief of Neurosurgery at Prisma Health Richland, for stepping in and agreeing to be on the morning panel when Dr. Nathan Rowland had a last minute conflict;.

Dr. John C. Morgan, movement disorders specialist neurologist with the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University;

Dr. Myriam J. Sollman, neuropsychologist with Prisma Health Neurosurgery;

Dr. Will Harmon, with Trek Physical Therapy;

Christopher Maynard, person with Parkinson’s;

and Pete Oliver, person with Parkinson's

At the end, we surprised Dr. Myriam Sollman with a stained glass hanging depicting the Dr. James Parkinson's Tulip to thank her for her years of compassionate, patient-focused care of people in our Parkinson's Community. Dr. Sollman is leaving to move to Arizona in June to become the Director, Arizona State University Clinical Psychology Training Center, and co-director of the Clinical Psychology Training Program.

04/30/2026

Columbia Parkinson’s Support Group Annual Symposium

2026 Patient/Care Partner Symposium Presented by Medtronic - Registration Extended until 10 AM on Thursday, April 30th! Absolutely cannot register to attend after that, we are sorry. We have a few seats still available.

We will have 6 speakers on the panel – ask them your questions about Parkinson’s:

Dr. John Morgan, movement disorders specialist neurologist, Augusta University
Dr. Nathan Rowland, neurosurgeon, MUSC Health
Dr. Myriam Sollman, neuropsychologist, Prisma Health Neurosurgery
Will Harmon, DPT, Trek Physical Therapy
Chris Maynard, person with Parkinson’s
Pete Oliver, person with Parkinson’s

Date: Saturday, May 2, 2026
Location: SCETV – Murray Studio
1041 George Rogers Blvd.
Columbia, SC 29201

Valet Parking is available

Time:Check-in opens at 8:30 AM with time to visit sponsors – Breakfast available – Program starts at 9:30 AM and concludes at 2:30 PM – Lunch break 11:30 to 12:30, time to visit sponsors – full agenda in the link to register

VERY IMPORTANT: We must have the names of every individual person attending. Please DO NOT REGISTER IN ONE NAME FOR MULTIPLE PEOPLE. If we do not have the name of every person who arrives on the day of the symposium, anyone whose name is not on the pre-registration list will have to be turned away. This is a security requirement of our venue.

Please register using the link:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1985195164176?aff=oddtdtcreator

If you have trouble registering, call Karen Basso at (803) 335-4247 for help.

In person Columbia Parkinson's Support Group Patient/Care Partner Symposium Presented by Medtronic! EACH INDIVIDUAL PERSON MUST REGISTER!

04/28/2026

This April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month and we’re partnering with Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America to help people understand the complexity of Parkinson’s disease (PD).

04/25/2026

We still have seats available for our Free Patient/Care Partner Educational Symposium on Saturday, May 2, 2026 - Registration will close on April 29th.

Come ask your questions about Parkinson’s Disease - we will have 6 experts on the panel.

Dr. John Morgan, movement disorders specialist neurologist, Augusta University
Dr. Nathan Rowland, neurosurgeon, MUSC Health
Dr, Myriam Sollman, neuropsychologist, Prisma Health Neurosurgery
Will Harmon, DPT, Trek Physical Therapy
Chris Maynard, person with Parkinson’s
Pete Oliver, person with Parkinson’s

Date: Saturday, May 2, 2026
Location: SCETV – Murray Studio
1041 George Rogers Blvd.
Columbia, SC 29201
Valet Parking is available

Time: Check-in opens at 8:30 AM with time to visit sponsors – Breakfast available – Program starts at 9:30 AM and concludes at 2:30 PM – Lunch break 11:30 to 12:30, time to visit sponsors – full agenda in the link to register

VERY IMPORTANT: We must have the names of every individual person attending. Please DO NOT REGISTER IN ONE NAME FOR MULTIPLE PEOPLE. If we do not have the name of every person who arrives on the day of the symposium, anyone whose name is not on the pre-registration list will have to be turned away. This is a security requirement of our venue. Please register using the link:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1985195164176?aff=oddtdtcreator

If you have trouble registering or want us to register you instead of using the link, call (803) 335-4247 for help: Karen N. Basso, President, Columbia Parkinson’s Support Group

In person Columbia Parkinson's Support Group Patient/Care Partner Symposium Presented by Medtronic! EACH INDIVIDUAL PERSON MUST REGISTER!

04/14/2026

We had a table at the Irmo Chapin Recreation Commission Health Fair today. Board member Pete Oliver, Treasurer Dennis Baker, and volunteer Carol Baker represented the support group - thank you to all of them!

04/13/2026

Columbia Parkinson’s Support Group April 19, 2026 Meeting

3 PM at Lexington Medical Park I Auditorium, 2728 Sunset Blvd., West Columbia, SC 29169

Rescheduled from January, 2026

Would you like to help further research into Parkinson’s Disease and potentially help find new treatments – or possibly – eventually - a cure?

We understand that this might be a difficult topic for some people. Some of us might be squeamish about thinking of donating our brains for scientific research. Please come to this meeting and get your questions answered so that you understand how important this research is – and the decision-making process, as well as what happens if you decide to help in this important research.

The presentation will also cover some of the research into Alzheimer’s Disease that the SC-ADRC is conducting.

The April 19, 2026 meeting will be a very robust and important program from the Brain Bank – the South Carolina-Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (SC-ADRC), which is a joint effort between MUSC, Clemson University and the University of South Carolina. We are very fortunate to have 3 speakers who will explain the program as it relates to research into Parkinson’s Disease and how individuals and families are able to significantly support this research, ultimately assisting in determining new treatments for Parkinson’s Disease.

The Columbia Parkinson’s Support Group suggests that you encourage your family members to attend this meeting, as it will help address any concerns and questions regarding donation to the Brain Bank, and the important research being conducted to benefit the Parkinson’s and Alzheimer's communities in the future.

Our 3 speakers are: Steven Carroll, MD, PhD; Jennifer Belk, Donor Liaison; and Brittany Ivey, PhD..