Blackfeather,

Welcome to this forum. The more people we have asking questions and putting forward ideas, the better it is for all of us.

You write: "There does not seem to be much to look forward to, as I will only continue to decline." The "continue to decline" is probably true (but it doesn't have to be a rapid decline, and is probably true for almost all 61 year olds anyway), but it is possible to live well with PD for many years. There's much to look forward to.

I don't know how general this is, but the worst time for me psychologically was when I was diagnosed with PD 9 years ago and the first few years following it. It took me a while to get my head around it, but I'm happier now than I was initially, even though the symptoms have progressed.

I do four things that I think help me psychologically:
- I socialize; I find a support group helps greatly;
- I exercise, a brisk 5 mile walk most days;
- I study Parkinson's - I accept that it's probably going to beat me, but I'm not going to let it win without a fight;
- in the past I have taken cognitive behavioural therapy courses for anxiety.

Every PwP is different, so you will need to find your own road, but you can have a happy life in spite of the PD.

John