By Josh Jennings
July 18, 2015
Parkinson's disease nurse
Mary Jones says she fosters long-term relationships with many of her patients,
given the number that live with Parkinson's for many decades. The duration of
these relationships significantly enhances the satisfaction she derives from
Parkinson's nursing too, she adds.
"To see people come
in, have their appendix out and go home is terribly rewarding but it's not
me," says Jones.
"I love the
long-term relationships and being part of people's lives.
"It's a really
chronic condition you share a life with."
Jones, a Parkinson's
nurse specialist, works in private practice alongside a neurologist and plays a
significant role in reducing the physical and psychological burden encountered
by people who live with Parkinson's.
She says diagnosis is one
of the most critical stages of the disease, citing research indicating that the
way the diagnosis is presented to patients significantly affects the
progression of the disease.
"It's not a nice
diagnosis to get," says Jones. "People can be fairly shocked ...
"A lot of support
goes on in the early stages and then right through the condition."
Jones began in private
practice in 2009. Some of the main roles she's had during her career include
nine years in an orthopaedic nursing role at the Alfred Hospital and a decade
co-ordinating the movement disorders program at Eastern Health.
Presently, according to
Parkinson's Victoria, there are very few Victorian Parkinson's nurses available
for the 27,000 Victorians living with Parkinson's.
"We don't have an
education system," Jones says of Parkinson's nursing. "The role isn't
suited to that of a nurse practitioner because we don't want to prescribe
medication but we do want to stand alone as highly specialised nurses looking
after a very complex condition.
"Largely it's going
to be self-taught and taught by your peers."
Next month, Parkinson's
Victoria is presenting A Walk in the Park, an Australia-wide event staged to
improve the quality of life for those living with Parkinson's. Jones, a regular
participant in the event and former board member of Parkinson's Victoria, says
she has become an active speaker on Parkinson's education as her career has
developed. She delivers lectures for support groups and organisations such as
Parkinson's Victoria and St Vincent's Hospital.
"A good outcome for
me in the next year would be recognition of Parkinson's as a specialty,"
she says.
"At the moment, any
patient I see has to be seen by the doctor as well, because we're not funded.
Patients will ring up and say, 'I only need to see Mary'. But there's no way we
can do it currently."
A Walk in the Park takes
place on August 30. www.parkinsonswalk.com.au
The story Parkinson's nurses in short supply first
appeared on The
Sydney Morning Herald.
http://health.einnews.com/article_detail/276461120/tEFZbIUTvl7urp-c?n=2&code=ga_qGBxHZ2aVYO4P
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