Parkinson
Côte-Nord

ABOUT US

Parkinson Côte-Nord joins the other regions in Quebec in the mission of rallying people living with Parkinson’s Disease and their caregivers by providing a place for everyone to share their experiences.
Our mission is to:

• Support people in their journey to help them learn to live better with the disease.
• Break their isolation.
• Offer a variety of activities aimed at maintaining and developing their physical and mental wellbeing.

Parkinson Côte-Nord is the last support group for people living with Parkinson’s Disease to join Parkinson Québec, along with the seven other regions. It was officially registered on the Quebec business registry on February 9, 2021.

Côte-Nord extends over 1,250 kilometres between Tadoussac and Blanc-Sablon, the last town before Labrador. In 2020, its population was assessed at 90,529. The cities of Sept-Îles and Baie-Comeau total more than half the population. Côte-Nord is also characterized by the presence of 11 Innu communities (Montagnais) of more than 18,000 people. A vast part of the territory (Basse-Côte) is landlocked and accessible only by plane or boat.

Given the geographic features of the region, including its size, Parkinson Côte-Nord concentrates its activities in Sept-Îles. It is still difficult to reach people with Parkinson’s in other sectors, but we plan to use technology to do so, in the medium to long term.

Parkinson Côte-Nord is a support organization for people with Parkinson’s and for their families and caregivers as well. Currently, it consists of 24 people living with the disease and a dozen caregivers. The organization offers its members adapted activities to help maintain and develop physical and mental wellbeing: physical exercise programs, information sessions (conferences, webinars), training workshops led by specialized resources as well as opportunities to discuss and share experiences.

Given that the organization is relatively new, combined with the pandemic, group meetings were limited to around 15 in 2021, all types combined. Similarly, Parkinson Côte-Nord was unable to hold major events like a fundraising campaign. But the group did benefit from two grants totalling $9,000 to support its start-up.

A four-person board of directors that includes a neurologist is responsible for the group’s governance.