Wednesday 11th April is Parkinson's Awareness Day, and one local care provider from Harrogate, Ripon and Thirsk has been looking into why it's so important for everyone, including their caregivers, to understand more about the disease.
With the number of people currently living in the UK with Parkinson's set to rise by a fifth between 2018 and 2025 from 145,000 to 168,000 people.
It's therefore essential that as many people are possible understand the disease and more importantly, know how best to support those living with Parkinson's.
What is Parkinson's?
Parkinson's disease is when the brain loses the ability to create enough dopamine for the body which would usually be responsible for controlling movement. It therefore affects everything from writing and walking, to talking, picking things up and everything in between.
Symptoms such as tremors, stiffness, slower movements, fatigue or anxiety are possible, but as each person with Parkinson's is so different so are the symptoms.
The cause is unknown, and there is no cure. Yet.
The video below can help to explain exactly what Parkinson's is.
How tailored care be more beneficial for elderly people with Parkinson's
Certain elements of Parkinson's can make caring for somebody with the illness a unique situation.
Getting medication on time is critical. Understanding how an individual is likely to fall and when can make the difference between broken bones or not. And encouraging people to stay active despite experiencing sever fatigue or anxiety is vital - when it comes to Parkinson's 'use it or lose it' is a very useful phrase to remember.
Beth Parsons talked to Sheena Van Parys from Home Instead as well as Renee Dickinson who was helping to deliver some training to a group of caregivers.
Local care provider Home Instead has been training their care givers on Parkinson's and how to best support those with the disease. Having lived with Parkinson's for 16 years guest speaker Renee Dickinson will be explaining what it's like and why making people more aware of it is so important.
To see Video:
https://www.strayfm.com/news/health/2549799/how-parkinsons-care-should-be-different/
https://www.strayfm.com/news/health/2549799/how-parkinsons-care-should-be-different/
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