PMA Online Chat Schedule
Our inaugural PMA Online Chat was held as scheduled on Monday, March 30th. Although we only had 3 attendees, thanks to Tom and Chris for being willing Guinea Pigs, everything went smoothly with the Zoom meeting platform. We are now ready to open things up and to hold regular (currently during COVID 19, weekly) meetings
This page will be where you will come to find the PMA online chat schedule. Below you will find the date, time and discussion topic for our next scheduled meeting.
2021:07:07 New Meeting Room:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/ProgressiveMuscularAtrophy/rooms
| DATE | TIME | TOPIC | LINK |
| Mon, Apr. 20th | 3 PM EST | Medicines & Supplements | https://us04web.zoom.us/j/369677274 |
| Mon. May. 25th | 3PM EST | Mobility Devices | https://us04web.zoom.us/j/369677274?pwd=cEhmKzc1N3NGQmdsYUFtVUZCOVVadz09 |
| Mon. Jun. 15th | 3PM EST | Open | https://us04web.zoom.us/j/369677274?pwd=cEhmKzc1N3NGQmdsYUFtVUZCOVVadz09 |
| Mon. Jul. 12th | 3PM EST | Open |
NB: This is NOT a Zoom meeting but is within the Facebook Group |
N.B. Zoom has recently introduced a requirement that ALL meetings MUST now have a password. Although the meeting ID has remained the same, the new link above now includes the password to avoid you having to enter it separately.
HOW TO CONNECT
It is really easy to use the ZOOM video conferencing system. You can connect using most devices, IOS, Windows and Android are all supported and your device type will be recognised when you click a meeting link for the first time on each/any device. Just follow the simple instructions. You do not have to download the software (though it is recommended) but can log in directly from the link. Some users do experience audio problems the first time but this can be easily fixed by clicking the arrow beside the mic icon and selecting appropriately. You can also set yourself up before the meeting to make sure that everything works for you. You can use the following link above for more detailed instructions.
MEETING FORMAT
Due to the limitations of a FREE Zoom account, our meetings will be limited to 40 minutes duration and 100 participants. We are not likely to exceed the attendance limit because that would involve a substantial portion of the North American PMA population.
We will divide the meeting into three sections:
INTRODUCTIONS: People will share their names and a brief outline of their (or their pALS) history with PMA. This will be limited to a maximum of 10 minutes depending on attendance numbers.
WEEKLY TOPIC: We will select a weekly topic picked by participants. There may be a short introduction by a member well-versed in the topic followed by questions and comments from the members. This section will typically last 15 minutes but again will be flexible enough to allow for all questions to be answered. If there appears to be too much material or discussion, we will extend it to a further meeting rather than curtail, too much, our final section.
OPEN FORUM: This will be an occasion for any participant to raise any question or put forward any hints, tips and suggestions.