Managing Parkinson ‘s Disease is A Family Affair-April is Parkinson ‘s Awareness Month

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Mar 27, 2013) - Parkinson's is a disease that families fight together. When a person is diagnosed with Parkinson's the symptoms echo through, and affect, every family member. Parkinson Society Canada knows that managing Parkinson's doesn't solely rest on the person living with the disease. Daily care and quality of life is often possible thanks to a cohesive team including doctors, health care professionals and family members.

During Parkinson's Awareness Month in April, Parkinson Society Canada is focusing on families and the impact Parkinson's disease can have on those who closely surround a person living with the disease. Caregivers can experience their own health problems as well as social and emotional difficulties if the care for a person with Parkinson's isn't adequately distributed among family, health care professionals and the community.

"My family tries to do things to make life easier for me. My wife and kids have been a huge help," said John Kiefer, a heavy duty mechanic from Saskatchewan who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2009 at age 41. "We try to work together as best we can."

John's wife Wanda, and their two children, Drayton and Danica, split household chores to ease the burdens placed on John, while his brothers and business partners facilitate a work environment conducive to John's abilities.

Parkinson Society Canada launched the first Canadian Guidelines on Parkinson's Disease in 2012. The Guidelines, targeted to aid health care professionals in diagnosis and treatment, recognize the importance of family members having access to the same information and service as the person diagnosed, so that they can effectively support managing the disease with their relative.

There are 400,000 family members in Canada who understand that daily life with Parkinson's affects more people than the individual diagnosed with this chronic, neurodegenerative disease. Often the role of primary caregiver falls to a close relative. It's up to each family, and their care partners, to build a plan that works for them.

"John is still able to go into work. If he was working for a big company I'm sure they would have forced him to go on disability," said Wanda.

John's family pulls together in many ways to maintain the quality of life that every person with Parkinson's should enjoy. Their collective effort makes life better for John but improves their own lives as well. They also turn to Parkinson Society Canada for support along the way.

Parkinson Society Canada invites families like the Kiefer's to share their story. The 'My family lives with Parkinson's Video Contest' running through April 22, 2013 gives individuals the chance to tell others how their family fights Parkinson's together. The video story may be inspirational, humourous or informative, and the final submission must be three minutes or less. Visit http://www.parkinson.ca for contest details, including how to win one of three prizes.

Parkinson's is a chronic degenerative neurological disease caused by a loss of dopamine in the brain. It affects over 100,000 Canadians. There is no cure. Symptoms include: resting tremor, slowness of movement, stiffness or rigidity of muscles, difficulty with balance and walking, changes in voice volume and speech, and difficulty with fine movements. Non-motor symptoms include depression, loss of sense of smell, sleep disturbances and cognitive changes. The average age of onset is 60, but it can affect people as young as 30 or 40.

Read more here:
Managing Parkinson 's Disease is A Family Affair-April is Parkinson 's Awareness Month