World Parkinson’s Day: Raising Awareness and Support for Patients

Image Source: Hindustan Times

April 11 is celebrated as World Parkinson’s Day to raise awareness about Parkinson’s disease, a neurodegenerative condition that affects the neurological system. The disease typically occurs with advancing age, but it can also affect younger people. According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, over 10 million people suffer from Parkinson’s worldwide.

The common symptoms of Parkinson’s include tremors, shaking of hands, change of voice, slowness in all activities, difficulty in bathing, wearing clothes, and eating food, and slow walking, which can lead to imbalance. The disease can also affect a person emotionally as they struggle to understand verbal and nonverbal emotional cues.

This day is observed to educate people about Parkinson’s, and its effects, and to support the patients suffering from this disease. By raising awareness and providing support and acceptance, the suffering of Parkinson’s patients can be reduced.

World Parkinson’s Day is celebrated on April 11 to commemorate the birth anniversary of Dr. James Parkinson, who identified Parkinson’s as a medical condition and published an article ‘An Essay on the Shaking Palsy’ in 1817. The World Health Organisation and the European Parkinson’s Disease Association (EPDA) announced in 1997 to celebrate the day with an aim to provide a platform for patients and healthcare workers to work together and raise awareness about the disease. The red tulip was chosen as the condition’s official emblem at the 9th World Parkinson’s Disease Day Conference in 2005.

Parkinson’s is treatable, but there is no cure for it. However, various therapies are available to alleviate its symptoms. The life expectancy of a patient depends on the type of Parkinson’s they are suffering from. The observance of World Parkinson’s Day encourages community service to help the patients and their families cope with the disease.

Rereported from the story originally published in Hindustan Times.