Henderson is working with members of the classes of 1964 and 1968. In December 2021, Henderson and 12 members of the Class of 1965 met on a ZOOM call. During subsequent calls, they’ve had VA experts joint them and they shared information regarding Parkinson’s Disease organizations and available resources.
Henderson seeks to assist alumni who were exposed to Agent Orange during their service in Vietnam. He said there is a connection between that exposure and Parkinson’s Disease. Obtaining VA care and documenting service time in Vietnam can be a daunting experience. The toolkit and support of the alumni community can alleviate some of the related stress, Henderson said.
“Guys are facing uncertainty,” Henderson said. “The only people who can help us is us. That’s way we started our own support group.”
The Parkinson's Toolkit provides guides for forming a support group, suggestions for the meetings, sharing of resources and experiences. Henderson’s goal is to help alumni and support class leaders to startup and manage a Parkinson’s Support Group for members stricken with this disease. He said the toolkit is initially aimed at the classes between 1959 and 1975 but said it can be adjusted to accommodate the needs of younger classes.
Henderson said health support groups were scheduled to go online in late July. A companion website called Health Support is also planned. Spreadsheets with names of facilitators for a range of health problems including Parkinson’s, prostate cancer, and cardiovascular disease are planned to provide users with guidance as they face these issues.