April is Parkinson’s Awareness month with April 11th World Parkinson’s Day.
Parkinson’s was originally described by the English apothecary surgeon in 1812 and the red Parkinson’s tulip is now used world wide as a symbol of optimism and hope.
Parkinson’s is a complex neurological disorder that can affect almost every part of the body, ranging from how you move to how you feel to how you think and process.
Young adults rarely experience Parkinson’s disease. It ordinarily begins in middle or late life, and the risk increases with age. People usually develop the disease around age 60 or older.
There is no single cause of Parkinson’s or predictor of who will get it and, although not life-threatening, it is progressive with the symptoms and effects getting worse over time.
Elgin Lodge Retirement Home is hosting a free information session open to the public about Parkinson’s on April 15th at 2:00 p.m.
“This is a subject that is near and dear to many of our residents,” says Carole Lee Foster of Elgin Lodge, “and we are pleased to be able to also offer it to the public on behalf of the Parkinson Society of Southwestern Ontario (PSSO), with guest speaker Heather Galloway. This is an opportunity to learn about this disease and how it affects individuals and families.”
