05/12/2026
BAPS Members,
This is one of those update emails with multiple topics I want to get to all on the email list. For BAPS-West members, this is your reminder that we meet Friday afternoon at St. Andrew's United Methodist Church fellowship hall at 206 W. Fowler Ave in Killeen at 2:30. I would usually send this reminder on Tuesday morning, but I'm sending this early to give all members time to sign up for the Cooking Class on May 29 in Belton.
1. Writing about our meetings while I'm in the midst of listening to a podcast about social connections encourages me to share some of the comments from two recent meetings. One often heard comment is "we learned about these meetings a year ago, but we didn't attend until now." Another is ''I don't always want to come, but by the end of the meeting, I'm glad I did." A third is 'with all my appointments and errands taking me longer to complete, I don't have energy to leave the house for something else." Certainly, things are complicated by the fatigue and apathy that can accompany Parkinson's." I was surprised by some of the statistics given on the podcast by how widespread social isolation, at different levels, can be. If you're interested, the podcast is free: CLICK HERE TO LISTEN: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZYOy58RTl8
2. When a month has five Fridays, it throws off our pattern of a meeting every other week. It's also an opportunity to plan a special activity. On Friday, May 29, we're using the Fifth Friday opportunity to have a cooking class with Dishes by Trish. Chef Tricia spoke in Belton about tips for healthy cooking, and those who attended the Parkinson's Symposium on March 28 had snacks and lunch she prepared. Some members wanted to learn more and Chef Tricia agreed to provide a cooking class. This could turn into a series, but for now we're focused on May 29. The special price for the class and meal is $20 per student. See the flyer for more information. You can reply to this email or text me to claim a spot. Reservations close at the end of our meeting on Friday (May 15). We need to cap the class at 12. Students won't be preparing food, but you may volunteer to assist.
3. See the attached BAPS Calendar for May through July. Most presentations are in only one of our locations. We'll use Zoom for our Speech and Swallowing presentation by Steven Darroh. If we have a volunteer at one of our locations to handle the Zoom meeting on their laptop, we can hold the meeting in both Killeen and Belton. If we become good at such multi-site meetings, that could help with plans for our 2027 Central Texas Parkinson's Symposium. See the Calendar for more info.
4. Do you use Facebook? If so, follow BELL AREA PARKINSONS SUPPORT for extra information. BAPS has both a public page and a private group. Mark Pritchard, our Facebook manager, limits page updates to local Parkinson's information, since many of us follow national information sources of our choice. You can find meeting plans and most of the flyers I send out. Importantly, I'm not using Facebook as the primary location for information on member deaths and illnesses. I'll wait for you, a family member, or a friend to share your information so I don't publish anything inaccurate or what you prefer to keep private. Things can be much looser on our FB Group since that's limited to BAPS members. We don't have much activity on the group yet, but once a core group starts using it for information, things can explode. Here's a QR code you can use to get to our FB page:
image.png see photos.
On the BAPS page, you can find an easy lin to the nine videos from the recent Parkinson's Symposium we hosted. You can also point your smartphone camera at the QR code below to click a link to the Symposium videos.
image.png see photos.
5. BAPS started in July 2022 with meetings in Temple only. The Killeen group formed in February 2023. We have BAPS group guidelines that I share at meetings at least once a year. This email is an opportunity to share with all - the attachment has the four guidelines. We're not perfect. I can think of two instances in which presenters used their visits with BAPS members to market their businesses too openly. There have been discussions when some less assertive members didn't feel included in important discussions. Reviewing the guidelines can help you speak up or remind me if you feel the guidelines need to be enforced.
6. Area Agency on Aging presentation by George Losoya last Friday. BAPS meetings have been hosted by the Area Agency on Aging in Belton for almost a year. George Losoya, the AAA Director, surprised me before Friday's meeting by providing feedback on how much hosting us has helped AAA. We had problems with the computer display on Friday, so George shared more informally with the group. One of his topics was a discussion about the benefits of hosting BAPS. I recorded George's presentation with his approval before the meeting because members who needed to miss the meeting asked that it be recorded. Because of that request, we have both the audio file of George's presentation and the slides he intended to discuss. The audio file is large, so you'll be linked to it on Google Drive. If you aren't a Google user and have problems, let me know. https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdrive.google.com%2Ffile%2Fd%2F1sD5fxCtb_RUgMDVmY_094ufb_Fh_0Dck%2Fview%3Fusp%3Ddrive_web&data=05%7C02%7C%7C997c3f7b86d14ea3b9d808deaef17a47%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C639140549312317560%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=7beCQAte6UETPBsLR9ZiR%2B%2FT6CSgljZQ2Isfz2klUn8%3D&reserved=0
7. Central Texas Veteran Health Care System 2026 Better Together Event will be held on Wednesday, May 20, at the VA Center in Temple. From 11am - 1pm, there's a 2K Walk and Roll/Resource Fair. BAPS will have a table at the event. If you attend, stop by and say Hi.
See you soon in either Killeen (15th) or Belton (22nd) or at the VA on the 20th.
Gayle
254.718.4197
Coordinator, Bell Area Parkinson's Support
