Frequently Asked Questions

Step up for Parkinson's is an online, month-long personal challenge that starts on 1 May and runs through until 31 May. 

Step up for Parkinson’s is all about getting active and helping to make an impact! Simply set the activity of your choice and track your progress.You can walk, run, cycle, swim, yoga, dance.. the possibilities are endless. It’s all about getting active.

However, you choose to Step Up for Parkinson's this May you will be making a difference by raising funds for people living with Parkinson's.

• Family
• Workplace
• Parkinson's NSW Support Group
• Parents Group
• School

Step up for Parkinson's is a personal challenge that gives you the flexibility to choose your own activity.

Here are some activities from past participants:

• Walking (an extra 1km each day)
• Running
• Cycling
• Swimming
• Yoga
• Pilates
• An extra work out day

If you are thinking of registering a team such as your workplace, here are some ideas:

• Walking meetings
• Have lunch while walking
• Online fitness sessions
• Jog around the block before or after work

Remember, you can always change your challenge if you feel you have set the goal to high or low. The idea is to get active.

Log in to your dashboard and scroll down and select "My Fitness Activity" to make this change.

Due to the wide range of fitness activities Step Up participants do throughout the month of May, we have introduced progress tracking by time.

You can choose to Step Up for:

• 20 minutes a day for the 20% oof Australians diagnosed under 50 years of age
• 38 minutes a day for the 38 people diagnosed with Parkinson’s each day
• 65 minutes a day for the most common age of diagnosis

So, whether you choose to walk, jog, swim, cycle, do yoga you can track your progress by minutes.

Exercise is part of healthy living for everybody. However, for people living with Parkinson’s exercise is not optional but essential.

Research shows that exercise is second only to medications for slowing down the progression of Parkinson's and can benefit with symptom management; improves gait, balance, tremor, flexibility, strength and coordination.

Activity and exercise also make us feel good, arousing the feel-good hormone dopamine.

Dopamine reduction is one of the main causes of Parkinson’s and exercise is one of the most stimulating activities for increasing dopamine production.

Dopamine plays an important role in how you feel pleasure. It’s also responsible for other processes, such as regulating heart rate, sleep cycles, mood, attention, motivation, working memory, learning, and pain processing.

You can link your Step Up for Parkinson's personal fundraising page with Strava, Fitbit and MapMyfitness. By doing this your fitness activity will automatically sync between your fitness app of choice and your fundraising page. 

If you are not currently using Strava, Fitbit and MapMyfitness you can download them for free by visiting the App store.

Once you have installed your App of choice, create your account.  Then head over to your Step Up for Parkinson's profile page and go to the 'My Fitness Activity' tab. Here you can now connect up to the fitness app you installed. Click on the icon of the app you'd like to connect - this will ask you to login and authorise us to access your fitness account. 

You're now connected!

When using your fitness app, remember to create or start a new activity through your app and stop when you're finished each time - this will ensure your kilometres are recorded onto your Step Up for Parkinson's page.

If you prefer you can also manually add an activity through the 'My Fitness Activity' tab too on your profile page.

We have a handy step by step guide that can assist you with this, which is also available in your dashboard under 'Resources'.

Simply choose GET INVOLVED and register.

GET INVOLVED


Once you have completed the registration process a personal fundraising page will be created for you. 

Donations can be made through your fundraising page. Simply send the link to your friends, family and colleagues to sponsor your efforts.

Cash donations can be collected and deposited into the Parkinson's NSW account. 

To add a cash donation to your fundraising page please click here. 

Login to your Step up for Parkinson's account and head to your dashboard. Click on ‘Edit my page’ and update your fundraising page. Don't forget we are here every Step of the way so reach out if you need our help events@parkinsonsnsw.org.au 

You can create a Facebook fundraiser by clicking the "Create a Facebook Fundraiser" button in your dashboard! This way your fundraising from Facebook will contribute to your overall total on your page. 

Please note: These donations will appear on your Step Up for Parkinson's page as 'Facebook donation' and will not show the name of your supporter. You can view all your Facebook donations on your Facebook page to see who has supported you

Yes, all donations of $2 or more are tax deductible.

Parkinson’s NSW is a not-for-profit organisation which receives less than 3% of its operating costs from government funding. That’s just 47 cents per person living with Parkinson’s in New South Wales. 

Money raised through Step Up for Parkinson's will allow Parkinson's NSW to continue delivering essential services for the Parkinson’s community, including:

• The 1800 644 189 InfoLine staffed a specialist team of health professionals including registered nurse and social worker.
• Community-based Parkinson’s Specialist Nurses in regional and rural areas 
• Two specialist counsellors
• A network of more than 70 face-to-face and online Support Groups across the state
• NDIS Advocacy
• A wide variety of Parkinson’s information kits in both print and digital formats
• Education for people living with Parkinson’s and care partners, as well as health and aged care professionals
• A resource-rich web site, social media channels, and digital and print publications  

Thank you for supporting us to support our Parkinson’s community.

Login to your Step Up for Parkinson's account and head to your dashboard. Click on ‘Edit my page’ and update your fundraising page.

There sure are! Your amazing fundraising efforts will be rewarded with some awesome merchandise.

Free pair of socks

• To be eligible to receive a free pair of socks you must be one of the first 200 people to register online at www.stepupatparkinsons.org.au and raise $220 through your online fundraising page.
• Individuals who are part of team/group still need to raise $220 as an individual to receive a free pair of socks. 
• Maximum of one pair of socks per person.

Free cap

• To be eligible to receive a free Parkinson’s NSW cap you must be one of the first 200 people to register online at www.stepupatparkinsons.org.au and raise $550 through your online fundraising page.
• Individuals who are part of team/group still need to raise $550 as an individual to receive a free pair of socks. 
• Maximum of one cap per person

Free drink bottle and pin

• To be eligible to receive a free drink bottle and pin you must be one of the first 200 people to register online at www.stepupatparkinsons.org.au and raise $780 through your online fundraising page.
• Individuals who are part of team/group still need to raise $780 as an individual to receive a free pair of socks. 
• Maximum of one drink bottle and pin per person.

It is FREE to register and participate in Step Up for Parkinson's. You can Step Up solo, as a team, or as a workplace!

Sharing your URL on Instagram can be tricky.
Here are two options that you could try,
1. Add your fundraising URL to your Instagram bio
2. Create an Instagram story and use the 'Sticker Link' to share your fundraising URL

Click here to join