John Stapleton has publicly shared his Parkinson’s diagnosis for the first time in an intimate documentary featuring his son and fellow BBC broadcaster Nick Stapleton.
The national news legend is a well known figure with a 50-year tenure on shows like Newsnight, Panorama, and Good Morning Britain.
Delving into the effects of his condition, John disclosed: “Speaking is how I’ve earned my living for the best part of 50 years, and it’s very frustrating sometimes, particularly if people are constantly saying to you, sorry, what did you say?
“And you have to repeat yourself time and time and time again. I’m fairly pragmatic about the prospect of this getting worse. I try to remain positive because what’s the point of not being (positive).”
Recent research revealed that 74% of individuals dread engaging in conversations about care with an elder family member.
In the film, Nick examines the strategies to handle family discussions regarding John’s diagnosis and the resultant hurdles that surface. John also addresses the parallel between his symptoms and those his mother faced with Parkinson’s, noting similar mobility issues currently affecting him.
Meanwhile, Nick reflects on the challenge of walking in his father’s shoes two decades later, contemplating the ways to assist a parent through their diagnosis and the potential conversations about necessary support ahead, reports the Mirror.
Nick went on to say: “It’s early days for us, and thankfully dad is still fairly independent, but nonetheless I want to start these conversations now, to get some potentially difficult topics out in the open and make it easier for later on.”
Georgina Jones, a senior care advisor at Parkinson’s UK, offered Nick advice on how to sensitively discuss the possibility of future care with his father.
Georgina added: “It’s trying to talk about what support someone might need rather than what care they might need, starting with what they would like and what they’re struggling with. There’s all kinds of equipment that people might need in their home. And those kind of small steps will then build up to something more major, decisions about if someone needed to sell their home, they needed to move, etc.”
After the conversation with his son and considering the future, John said: “The fact that I’ve had an early diagnosis, the fact that I’ve seen what happened to my mother firsthand is all a big bonus in many ways, because it enables me to look at it practically, realistically and plan sensibly for the future.”
The full film can be viewed on BBC iPlayer now.
Information and support for life-limiting conditions such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and cancer, and end-of-life care can be found here.
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