Unmasking the Mystery: The Journey of Living with Parkinson's Disease

 By Emanuella Ikya Doom

Parkinson’s disease is a condition where a part of your brain deteriorates, causing more severe symptoms over time. While this condition is best known for how it affects muscle control, balance and movement, it can also cause a wide range of other effects on your senses, thinking ability, mental health and more.

PD gets worse over time. There is no cure, but therapies and medicines can reduce symptoms. Common symptoms include tremors, painful muscle contractions and difficulty speaking.

Parkinson disease results in high rates of disability and the need for care. Many people with PD also develop dementia. The condition is more common in people over the age of 60 of which about 1% is affected. When the condition is seen in people before the age of 50, it is termed as Y

oung-onset Parkinson’s disease. Men are affected more often than women. The cause of PD is unknown but people with a family history of the disease have a higher risk. Exposure to air pollution, pesticides and solvents may increase risk.

TREATMENT AND CARE
There is no cure for Parkinson disease, but therapies including medicines, surgery and rehabilitation can reduce symptoms.
Rehabilitation including physiotherapy can offer relief for Parkinson disease and other degenerative neurologic disorders. Therapies include:

• Strength training
• Gait and balance training
• Hydrotherapy.

These therapies can help improve functioning and quality of life for people with PD. This can also reduce the strain on careers.
Many medications and surgical resources are not accessible, available or affordable everywhere, particularly low- and middle-income countries.

IMPACT OF PARKINSON DISEASE .

Informal carers (i.e. most commonly family members and friends) spend many hours daily providing care for people living with PD.This can be overwhelming. People with PD are often subject to stigma and discrimination, including unjust discrimination within the workplace and lack of opportunities to engage and participate in their communities. A common barrier is created by healthcare providers’ inadequate knowledge and understanding of PD and myths that PD is a contagious illness or a normal part of aging