Office closure worries Parkinson Association of Alberta clients

By Gillian Slade on November 29, 2017.

gslade@medicinehatnews.com  @MHNGillianSlade

The decision to close the storefront office of the local chapter of Parkinson Association of Alberta had many expressing displeasure at a meeting on Tuesday in Medicine Hat.

About 30 attendees put CEO John Petryshen on the hot seat in what was an emotionally charged situation.

The Medicine Hat group has supported each other and is extremely fond of Beth Metcalf, who has been client services co-ordinator since January 2010.

Petryshen said he hoped the strength of the local group will help sustain momentum built over the years. He hoped the day would come when a storefront office could be opened in Medicine Hat again.

The change for Medicine Hat was triggered for financial reasons. Services are expected to continue from a home office operating three days a week. The plan is to reduce overhead costs and clients will either be visited in their own home, in coffee shops, or perhaps in an office shared with another organization on an as-needed basis.

In the past, the annual fundraising walk contributed a significant amount to revenue, but that has been declining. The provincial organization is facing a deficit of $100,000 this year.

Change is the only consistent thing in life, said Petryshen, who will hold a meeting in January to make plans with the support group for the future.

Local businessman Dan Hein attended the meeting. He became involved in supporting the organization through a friend who had the disease and has since passed on.

He told the group the organization spends more on front line services, and that is why he gives his support. He also thanked Petryshen for “taking it on the chin” at the meeting.

Metcalf is no longer with the organization but did attend the meeting. Many spoke of her kindness and assistance to them over the years — help that sustained them through tough times of dealing with the disease themselves or a loved one they were caring for.

Amanda Sears is the new client services co-ordinator, and she made a point of telling the audience that their relationship with Metcalf did not need to end and that it would just be a little different than it used to be.

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