Tag Archives: parkinsons

Friends, family members and supporters webinar – Panel Discussion from Parkinsons UK

Living with Parkinson’s disease is undeniably challenging, not just for those diagnosed but also for those who support them. During a recent panel discussion from Parkinsons UK, experience of care experts including Matthew McKenzie and volunteers shared their insights and experiences on managing these challenges, offering valuable advice for fellow caregivers. The discussion highlighted key aspects of being on the supporters journey, from communicating diagnoses to seeking support and handling medication concerns. Here, we summarize the essential points covered during the session for a comprehensive guide.

Parkinson’s UK is a leading charity dedicated to improving the lives of people affected by Parkinson’s disease in the United Kingdom. Established in 1969, the organization provides vital support, information, and resources to individuals living with the condition, as well as their families and caregivers. Parkinson’s UK also funds groundbreaking research aimed at finding better treatments and ultimately a cure for the disease.

Parkinson’s UK held a Panel interview to highlight and educate those who are new to the caring role and want to find out more about supporting someone with Parkinsons. Below is a small summary of the panel interview, although if you want to watch the Panel discussion, please click on the video below.

Understanding Caregiving Dynamics

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Interview with R. Bernard Coley

Welcome back to the 5th in the series of carer activist interviews. I have a special treat for Carers Week 2024 as this time I have gone international and interviewed Bernard Coley who is a strong champion for caregiver activism internationally.

Bernard is a carer and also does a lot of work making the carer visible especially regarding the impact of Parkinsons.

He acknowledges there are many challenges facing those who try to connect with caregivers and these challenges are actually similar over in the UK.

You can watch the interview for free below as Benard talks about how important it is for carers NOT to stay silent about their role. There is also discussion on how members of the black community can make a difference when connecting with carers.

Addressing Parkinsons with Black communities

Welcome back to another blog post by carer activist and Carers UK volunteer Matthew McKenzie. This blog post is focused on the upcoming event aimed at black communities to address Parkinsons.

The event will be hosted by Parkinsons UK who fight hard to raise awareness of parkinsons and promote better treatment and services for those affected by Parkinsons disease.

Parkinsons disease does not discriminate, although parkinsons usually affect those at an older age, it can affect others from any age, race or social standing. Parkinsons is a devasting illness and can easily put a strain on families and whole communities. This includes those from the black community

To increase awareness of how Parkinsons can affect the black community, we must come together to learn and discuss what steps we can taken to reduce the impact of the disease. It is not only the impact on the person diagnosed with Parkinsons, but also the family and carer trying to improve quality of life.

Taken from Parkinsons UK website. Parkinson’s is a progressive neurological condition. This means that it causes problems in the brain and gets worse over time.

People with Parkinson’s don’t have enough of the chemical dopamine in their brain because some of the nerve cells that make it have stopped working. Around 153,000 people live with Parkinson’s in the UK. And it’s the fastest growing neurological condition in the world.

The event Parkinsons UK is running is called “Addressing Parkinsons with black communities” This will take place online for both Wednesday 8th May and also Saturday 11th of May from 12pm – 4 pm.

I am proud to take part for the event on the 11th of May where I will cover how Parkinsons can affect carers and what steps carers can take to reduce the impact.

You can book online through the link below

https://www.parkinsons.org.uk/events/addressing-parkinsons-black-communities-uk

Please look out for my blog and video for “World Parkinson day” – which is on 11th of April.

Thanks for reading.