Parkinson's Awareness Week advice

It’s Parkinson’s Awareness Week. Here’s advice from MSG consultant physician Dr Aneurin Matthew about the disease, common symptoms and what can be done to help people with the condition.

Parkinson’s Disease is a neurological condition which can affect adults of all ages, but which becomes more common with increasing age. For reasons which are not yet fully known, special nerve cells in the part of the brain which organises movement stop working over time. These cells usually produce a chemical called dopamine which is the signal to muscles to work.  Parkinson’s disease is getting more common – one in 37 people in Britain will develop Parkinson’s during their lifetime.

The lack of dopamine can make all muscle movements more difficult, including walking, smiling and writing.

The most common symptoms are muscle stiffness, tremor and slowness of movement. However, there are numerous other symptoms affecting all aspects of life. These include anxiety, depression, difficulty swallowing, difficulty with speech, low blood pressure, drooling of saliva, memory problems and falls.

Parkinson’s is a very individual condition and everyone’s experience of the condition is unique. This includes the type of symptoms experienced and the rate of progression.

However, there are common things that help. For people with Parkinson’s, exercise and social activity are more important that ever. In fact, exercise is the only treatment that is proven to slow down Parkinson’s disease. We are lucky in Guernsey to have an excellent charity in Parkinson’s Guernsey that provides regular physical and social activities for people with Parkinson’s, as well as emotional support and camaraderie. 

Although, there is no cure currently, there is a lot of active research in this area. We remain hopeful. In the meantime, there are treatments that help to alleviate the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and make life better.

Treatments for Parkinson’s in Guernsey are provided by a small but dedicated team of professionals from neurophysiotherapy, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy along with a Parkinson’s nurse specialist, Debbie Robilliard, and a physician.

If you are worried that you or a loved one might have symptoms of Parkinson’s, the first step is to see your GP who will be able to examine you and either provide reassurance, or refer you to the Parkinson’s service for further assessment

As a community, we can all help people with Parkinson’s to live well by supporting them in being active and independent, and involving them in social activities.