ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) – April is Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Month. The American Parkinson Disease Association is seeking to educate and empower those affected by the disease.
Tremors, instability, stiffness of muscles, slow movement, fatigue, sleep problems and depression. These are a few of the symptoms caused by Parkinson’s Disease.
“It does cause a life change. I just lost my sister, my identical sister to Parkinson’s and what a change it made. It can be the confusion, it can be the effort to do anything, it can be the loss of feeding yourself,” said APDA Virginia Chapter Board President, Kathy Morton.
Parkinson’s Disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder. While the exact cause is unknown, scientists believe it results from a combination of genetic and environmental factors. According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, In the U.S. about one million people have Parkinson’s, including 24,000 in Virginia. There are 90,000 new diagnoses each year.
“So often they aren’t diagnosed for years. They can go back and say, ‘my gosh, I remember when…’ but it wasn’t ever diagnosed. That can be a problem for people. To get a good diagnosis, get on the right medication and then start their treatment,” said Morton.
Although there is no cure, doctors say there are ways to improve the quality of life for those with the disease.
“They say the number one thing that can help a person with Parkinson’s is exercise. Get into an exercise program. Whether that’s Rock Steady Boxing, exercise, yoga or whatever. It is also important to get and be around people and keep that socialization whether that’s a book club or going to church,” said Morton.
The Virginia Chapter of the American of Parkinson’s Disease Association provides research, support and education to help those impacted live life to the fullest. Morton said one misconception is that if someone with Parkinson’s looks good one day, then they should feel well other days. That is not true.
“There’s a Good-Start Program for people that have been diagnosed within the last 3 years. There is a PRESS Program that offers support to people who have been diagnosed in the last 5 years. There is a Connecting Through Art program, there is a singing group. Singing is important because as we know with Parkinson’s the voice can get softer,” said Morton.
Registration is open for the 2025 Virginia Parkinson’s Conference. It will be held at the Salem Civic Center September 6.
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