More on Support Groups

From Parkinson’s Foundation:

• Nearly one million people in the U.S. are living with Parkinson’s disease (PD), which is more than the combined number of people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy and Lou Gehrig’s disease (or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis). This is expected to rise to 1.2 million by 2030.
• Approximately 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with PD each year.
• More than 10 million people worldwide are living with PD.
• Incidence of Parkinson’s disease increases with age, but an estimated four percent of people with PD are diagnosed before age 50.
• Men are 1.5 times more likely to have Parkinson’s disease than women.

Parkinson’s is one of the fastest growing degenerative diseases and seems to be one of the least understood by the general medical community.

People with Parkinson’s need to learn how to advocate for themselves and a support group is a good place to learn how to do this.

            Learn about the interactions of medications

            Learn about the dangers of hospitalization

            Learn about having medication on time

            Learn about products to make life easier     

Learn how to live with Parkinson’s

Learn about local resources.