By Nancy Young
Enquirer contributor

Lil Geller, left, Bob Kendall and Virginia Burns play chair volleyball Tuesday in a new Parkinson's Disease Support Group during their weekly activities meeting at the Mason Community Center. The activities help keep the group members limber and active. The Enquirer/MICHAEL SNYDER

MASON - Warren and Butler county residents who suffer from Parkinson's disease no longer have to travel far to obtain the support and exercise therapy that have proven beneficial in coping with the disease. The Mason Parkinson's Support Group now meets weekly at Mason Community Center.

Each year, more than 60,000 people nationwide are diagnosed with Parkinson's, a degenerative neurological disease characterized by muscle rigidity and tremors. About 1.5 million Americans, including 25,000 in the Tristate, have the condition.

There are Parkinson's support groups meeting in Kenwood, the Drake Center in Hartwell, Northern Kentucky and Indiana. The Mason group is the first in the area to offer a coordinated schedule of support discussions, exercise sessions and guest speakers. The group was founded and is led by Dorian Brown, a specialist in the treatment of Parkinson's and related movement disorders.

Every Tuesday evening, about 15 seniors gather for a therapeutic exercise session that includes a spirited game of chair volleyball. "We see almost immediate results," Brown says of the exercise program she developed. "It helps patients improve reflexes, maintain balance, reduce muscle rigidity, and offers social and emotional benefits."

"I come feeling very stiff and leave feeling much more limber," says Ila Henning of Mason.

On the third Tuesday of every month, about 50 seniors gather for the exercise session, followed by dinner and a speaker.

"Attending these evenings gets us out of the house, helps me to understand what he is going through and to know we are not alone," said Eileen Flege of West Chester, whose husband, Frank, has Parkinson's.

"This condition can make me very depressed, and coming to the group lifts my spirits," said Anna Geiser, of Mason. "The exercise makes me feel physically stronger, and being with other sufferers makes me feel more mentally able to deal with the disease."

The group meets Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. at Mason Community Center at 6050 Mason-Montgomery Road. For information, call 771-0587.

April is Parkinson's Awareness Month. An annual seminar will be from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. April 21 at Sycamore Senior Center, 4455 Carver Woods Drive in Blue Ash. Call 686-1010 or 771-0587 for free reservations, no later than April 17. Four guest speakers will present the latest advances in the battle against Parkinson's, and dinner will be served.