Life with Parkinson's: many carers lack support
Launching Parkinson's Awareness week, the Parkinson's Disease Society (PDS) has published the results of the largest ever survey of people with Parkinson's and their carers.
The research is based on a survey of over 13,000 members of the PDS, including nearly 6,000 carers. The findings provide insight into all aspects of life with Parkinson's, highlighting inconsistencies in access to specialist care across the UK. It also reveals that many carers are not receiving the information or support they need.
The report contains the key findings on the following areas:
- Health care services from diagnosis onwards
- Information needs of people with Parkinson's
- Education of professionals
- Support for living day to day with Parkinson's
- The impact of Parkinson's upon carers
Steve Ford, Chief Executive of the Parkinson's Disease Society said:
"Specialist care is vital for people with Parkinson's and our survey reveals that whilst there have been a number of improvements across the UK, many people are still being let down by their local services from the time of diagnosis onwards. There is an urgent need to improve services so that every person with Parkinson's gets access to the expert help they need at diagnosis and whenever they need it throughout the course of their condition. Parkinson's Disease Nurse Specialists are fantastic for patients and there is simply no excuse for any of the 120,000 people with Parkinson's in the UK to be missing out on their support."
Read the report: Life with Parkinson's today – room for improvement - you can also download a copy of the findings relevant to the country you live in.