Recognition for our local Parkinson’s “Community Heroes”

All three of the deserving recipients have done exceptional work in their fields, each helping make life just that little bit easier for those in Orange who live with Parkinson’s.

Parkinson’s is a progressive, degenerative condition of the central nervous system. Its causes are unknown, and a cure has not yet been found.

Diagnosis of Parkinson’s can be di cult, and people can live with the condition for decades.

During that time, they will decline in health to the point of incapacity. This decline, sometimes involving dramatic changes in symptoms and even personality, in turn, places huge pressure on the caregivers and families of people living with Parkinson’s.

And Parkinson’s is actually more prevalent than prostate and breast cancer in Australians over the age of 50, facilitator of the Orange Parkinson’s Support Group, Bernie Du y, said.

“Yet despite cancers being declared a National Health Priority Area (NHPA) for Federal and State Governments, Parkinson’s is not,” he added.

“Given the many negative impacts of living with Parkinson’s, it is of great concern to me that neither state nor federal governments provide funding of any substance toward service delivery to mitigate the e ects of this disease –which, by the way, is now the most degenerative neurological condition in the world.”

The Orange Parkinson’s Support Group held an information display at Blooms the Chemist during Parkinson’s Awareness Month, taking the opportunity to make more locals aware of the issues facing people living with Parkinson’s here in Orange.

Find out more about Parkinson’s NSW, local Parkinson’s Support Groups, and how to donate by calling the Parkinson’s NSW InfoLine on 1800 644 189.