It's commonly thought that Parkinson's Disease is something which only affects older people, but that's not the case. There are currently 12,000 people in Ireland who have the disease, and many are diagnosed when they are under the age of 50.
Brian Pollard and his wife Cathy joined us during Parkinson's Awareness Week to talk about the impact the condition has had on their lives. Brian was diagnosed with Parkinson's 18 years ago, aged 50. His symptoms included slowness stiffness, rather than the tremors that many people have come to associate with the illness. This is indicative of the fact that the symptoms of Parkinson's vary from person to person.
Cathy spoke about how Brian's illness impacts on family life. The unpredictability of symptoms makes it hard for them to plan ahead. Brian also sometimes finds it difficult to think and speak about things, which has an effect on communication. Cathy stressed the importance of carrying on with normal day to day activities in coping with the condition: "Keep doing what you normally do, even if you have to adapt it."
There is currently no cure for Parkinson's, although medication to help control the symptoms is constantly improving. In terms of available support, there are just five Parkinson's nurse specialists in Ireland at the moment.
You can listen to Brian and Cathy's full interview below.
For more information about Parkinson's Disease, visit parkinsons.ie
