If you noticed a crew in blue, banners in hand, marching down the pavement between Campal
and Miramar Beach last weekend, you saw the ‘Unity Walk for Parkinson’s’, which
witnessed the participation of Parkinson’s Society-Goa (PSG) volunteers, the
patients and their caregivers, as well as others supporters of the cause. “We
want to spread awareness about Parkinson’s disease, as well as get visibility
for the Society and the help we provide to patients,” says Joanne D’Souza, a
physiotherapist and the coordinator of PSG.
Parkinson’s is a neurological disorder
characterised by problems with body movements. It was identified by Dr James
Parkinson, who termed it ‘The Shaking Palsy’ in his 1817 essay about the
disease. It was eventually named after him, and his birthday, April 11, is
celebrated as World Parkinson’s Disease Day.
Parkinson’s is a slowly progressive
condition, life-altering but not life-threatening. Medications have proven
effective at controlling symptoms and raising the patient’s quality of life.
Even now, research is being carried out to find a cure.
Parkinson’s is one of the most common
movement disorders, with over one per cent of the global population expected to
develop it. Similar odds are applicable in India as well. This is where the
‘Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorder Society’ (PDMDS) comes in.
Envisioned by Dr B S Singhal, established in 2001, the Society aims to monitor
the care and treatment of people living with Parkinson’s and to disseminate
information about it. It is run by a team of neurologists, psychologists,
physiotherapists and other contributors. The Society has grown in leaps and
bounds since its inception, in terms of the range of activities conducted as
well as outreach – expanding from Mumbai, it currently has 42 centres across
the country.
PSG is one such off-shoot of PDMDS. The
Society runs Support Centres in four locations across the state – Panjim,
Mapusa, Margao and Vasco. At these centres, the Society’s team of
physiotherapists and counsellors, all of whom volunteer their services,
organises Support Group meetings for patients, as well as physiotherapy
classes, speech therapy and counselling services, free of charge. These are
availed of by around 500 patients, on average, who are generally referred to
PSG by their neurologists.
The support groups are informal gatherings
for patients as well as caregivers, who are generally relativesor other personsliving
with them and providing care on a daily basis. It provides them with a platform
to reach out to and interact with others, share their experiences, and gain
emotional support. “A lot of patients don’t like to come out of their homes,
because of their motor problems. But at the support centres, they can meet
other people just like them, which is a great help,” says Shawna Nazareth, a
counsellor at PSG. “A lot of the patients are sometimes depressed, or lack
confidence because of the condition, which is how counselling helps,” she adds.
At the classes taught by the physiotherapists, the patients also learn motor
exercises that help them manage their discomfort, strengthen themand improve
their quality of living.
Within constraints of infrastructure and relying on the services
of volunteers, PSG has been making tremendous efforts to make life easier for
the people with Parkinson’s in Goa. However, awareness about the society and
how it helps, as well as about the disease, is not very widespread. Renuka
Figueiredo, a counsellor, adds, “Despite having studied about Parkinson’s as
part of Clinical Psychology, we didn’t have much awareness about it either,
until we met the patients and learned about their experiences.”
This is where the Unity Walk and other such events come in. “We
want the walk to increase the visibility of the Society so that people can come
to know about its presence and so that patients with Parkinson’s can avail of
the services we have to offer,” adds Joanne. For this purpose, the volunteers,
patients and caregivers, and others participated in the walk on Saturday, April
21, bearing stickers and posters with slogans like ‘#uniteforparkinsons’,
‘Pause for Parkinson’s’ and ‘Accept and Adapt’, while volunteers handed out
informative fliers to curious passers-by. For some of the elderly patients who
participated, the hour-long walk was quite a feat! On Sunday, April 22, the
patients participated in a cultural programme that gave them a chance to build
their own confidence and show off what they are capable of, at Sanskruthi
Bhavan, Panjim.
PSG
continues to do good work for the people of Goa, keeping up with the PDMDS goal
‘Together, we move better!’. If you wish to get in touch with a support group,
visit the website parkinsonssocietyindia.com. And if you missed the Unity Walk
in Panjim, worry not – you’ll have another opportunity to show support at the
Unity Walk for Parkinson’s in Margao, on Sunday, April 29, at 5 pm, from the
KTC Bus Stand to Ravindra Bhavan, Fatorda.
