Throughout 2022 INCA are raising money for their chosen charity Parkinson’s UK – you can Donate Here >>>
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects predominately the dopamine-producing (“dopaminergic”) neurons in a specific area of the brain called substantia nigra.
Symptoms generally develop slowly over years. The progression of symptoms is often a bit different from one person to another due to the diversity of the disease. People with PD may experience:
- Tremor, mainly at rest and described as pill rolling tremor in hands; other forms of tremor are possible
- Slowness and paucity of movement (called bradykinesia and hypokinesia)
- Limb stiffness (rigidity)
- Gait and balance problems (postural instability)
In addition to movement-related (“motor”) symptoms, Parkinson’s symptoms may be unrelated to movement (“non-motor”). People with PD are often more impacted by their non-motor symptoms than motor symptoms. Examples of non-motor symptoms include: depression, anxiety, apathy, hallucinations, constipation, orthostatic hypotension, sleep disorders, loss of sense of smell, and a variety of cognitive impairments.
The cause remains largely unknown although scientists believe a combination of genetic and environmental factors are the cause.
There is currently no cure, but there are treatment options which include medications, lifestyle adjustments and surgery. While Parkinson’s itself is not fatal, disease complications can be serious.
Parkinson’s prevalence facts and stats
- Parkinson’s affects 10 million people worldwide
- It is the fastest growing neurological condition in the world
- There is no cure for Parkinson’s disease
- 1 in 37 people alive today in the UK will be diagnosed with Parkinson’s in their lifetime.
- Estimates show that around 145,000 people live with a Parkinson’s diagnosis in the UK
- Broken down within the UK that’s:
- England: 121,000
- Scotland: 12,400
- Wales: 7,600
- Northern Ireland: 3,900
- With population growth and ageing, this is likely to increase by a fifth, to around 172,000 people in the UK, by 2030.
- Every hour, 2 more people are diagnosed. That’s the same as 18,000 people every year.
Who’s affected?
We all know someone who suffers from Parkinson’s Disease – high profile celebrities like Ozzy Osbourne, Neil Diamond, Michael J. Fox, the late Muhammad Ali, Billy Connolly, Jeremy Paxman and, indeed the host of the INCA Awards 2022, Paul Sinha, to name but a few.
But it’s closer to home too … even within our own EWI industry we know of quite a number of our friends and colleagues who battle the condition.
One of those, who many of you will know, Chris Glinn, (ex Dryvit, Sto, Powerwall, CRL and others) has kindly shared his story and thoughts:
I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in March 2019. I had noticed a mild tremor in my right hand in the previous 18 months and put this down to a trapped nerve. It was a devastating and life changing diagnosis and from that moment my future became unknown and frightening.
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive and debilitating neurological condition which affects mobility, dexterity, thinking and emotion but sufferers can continue to contribute to the workplace. We may need reasonable adjustments, we will also need support and understanding from both colleagues and employers. But with these in place we can remain a productive member of the team and industry.
The EWI industry needs to recognise the needs of disabled employees so we can continue to contribute our knowledge and experience and remain a respected and valued member of the workforce. Public awareness is slowly improving but there is still a long way to go.
Chris goes on to say how he would like to raise awareness within the industry and we would like to support too which is why we’re proud to be raising money for Parkinson’s UK and the amazing work they do.
You can support too – if you’re going to the INCA Awards ceremony then please dig deep and buy a raffle ticket or two where ALL proceeds go directly to Parkinson’s UK (card payments will be accepted and there are some great prizes to be won). There will also be a few collection boxes dotted around the room should you have any loose change you’d like to dispose of!
In addition, INCA have set up a JustGiving page where you can also make a contribution of any size to this really worthy cause. All donations will be greatly appreciated – it doesn’t matter how small or large and they can be made anonymously if you prefer. So please help us to help Parkinson’s sufferers throughout the UK – Visit our JustGiving page and donate >>>
Thank you.