A week to think "Parkinson's"
03/04/2008
With Parkinson's Week fast approaching (April 7 - 13) campaigners are drawing attention to the impact the disease can have on people's lives - and the help that is available.
Some 120,000 people in the UK have Parkinson’s disease, and 10,000 are newly diagnosed every year. Whilst it is not life threatening, Parkinson’s is a progressive neurological condition caused by the loss of dopamine in the brain, which seriously affects day to day activities that we take for granted - like walking, writing and speaking.
The main physical symptoms are tremor, rigid muscles and slowness of movement - but the social, personal and psychological effects can be just as devastating. For instance, the person diagnosed with Parkinson's may have been the chief breadwinner and had to give up their job, so the family may be surviving on a reduced income. Or the non- chief breadwinner may have had to take on responsibility for being the main breadwinner, so the one with Parkinson's will have to take on the domestic tasks.
Such major changes can then be exacerbated by how Parkinson's affects all types of communication. The sufferer may find it hard to initiate or maintain conversations if their speech is affected, or misunderstandings may arise because of the lack of facial expressions.
Yet for many, it is depression and social isolation that is the hardest thing to face - to say nothing of mood swings as a result of fluctuations in dopamine levels in the brain. Inevitably, some people with Parkinson's tend to withdraw from society and become very introverted, and the loss of social standing within the family group and work environments can lead to feelings of reduced self-worth.
During the course of the Awareness Week the Parkinsons' Society aims to raise general awareness and funds for research - and let people with Parkinson’s and their families know that they are there to support them. The public will also be encouraged to ‘Party for Parkinson’s’ in a bid to raise over £100,000 for research and awareness - and fundraising packs for this initiative are available for anyone wanting to plan their own event.
A new poster entitled 'We're here to help' available in A4 and A3 sizes is free to anyone willing to put them up in doctors' surgeries, hospital waiting rooms and community centres. Please email pr@parkinsons.org.uk or call 020 7963 9370 with your address and the number of posters you'd like the Society to send.
A free phone helpline which provides confidential help and advice to all people affected by Parkinson's can be reached by calling 0808 800 0303 (Monday - Friday 09:30am - 09:00 pm and Saturday 09:30am – 05:30pm).
Alternatively visit the website linked below.