The Parkinson’s Association of Ireland is a charity, based in Dublin with branches throughout the country. Our aim is to assist people with Parkinson’s, their families and carers, health professionals and other interested people by offering support, a listening ear and information on any aspect of living with Parkinson’s. We currently receive no funding from the Irish state.
Our Objectives
- help and support patients and carers by developing a support network of branches throughout the country
- make information freely available to patients and their families through seminars, magazines, information leaflets and meetings on a national and local level
- facilitate easy access to all appropriate services for people with Parkinson’s and to lobby to improve those services
- help establish a network of Parkinson’s Disease Nurse Specialists within a multidisciplinary setting, each in association with a neurologist and or a geriatrician.
- promote and encourage research into Parkinson’s.
- support through our Freephone Helpline, 1800 359359, which is open from 9am to 7pm Monday to Thursday and 9am – 5pm Friday..
- provide Information and advice from our Parkinson’s Disease Nurse Specialist available through our freephone helpline.
- raise awareness through educating the public, health professionals and influencers, to give a greater understanding and acceptance of Parkinson’s.
Our Aims
- to help and support patients and carers by developing a support network of branches throughout the country
- to make information available to patients and their families through seminars, newsletters and branch meetings on both a national and local level
- to facilitate easy access to all appropriate services for people with Parkinson’s and to lobby to improve those services
- to help establish a network of PDNS, within a multidisciplinary setting, each in association with a neurologist and or a geriatrician.
- to promote and encourage research into Parkinson’s.
We do this through educating the public and raising awareness of – and therefore hopefully – a greater understanding of and acceptance of – Parkinson’s. We fundraise to help provide essential services, ultimately throughout the country. Currently our primary push is to finance the provision of Parkinson’s Nurse Specialists, ideally working in association with neurologists or geriatricians, and again ideally half based within a hospital environment and half based in the community. That way, the patients have the best of both worlds. Having said that, two of the present three PDNS here are hospital based, and transforming the lives of their patients.
We however would like it all!
We attempt to lobby for greater facilities, such as access to physiotherapy, speech therapy, which can transform lives by maximising function, but which is not always available. We are aware that governments have budgets, but we feel that those with a neurological disorder are badly served, both with access to specialised care – essential with advancing progression of ithe condition – and the more modern treatment options, as well as the rehabilitative services.
We therefore take every opportunity to lobby for improved services – more neurologists, more nurse specialists, more access to proven ancillary services.
We also aim to inform patients and their families about our work and about Parkinson’s, and raise awareness of Parkinson’s.
We are running series of Patient Information Updates throughout the country, at which the people attending will hear about the latest treatments, about the medications, and will have the opportunity to ask questions. These have been hugely successful so far, and are ongoing.
A quarterly newsletter provides up to date news on the research front, tips, local news, what is happening within the Association, and is a bright and colourful and, we hope, welcome when it drops through the letterbox!
We have started work on a series of Information Leaflets on various aspects of Parkinson’s such as the medication, symptoms, FAQs, preventing falls, tricks to stay moving, exercises, caring for someone with Parkinson’s, and more.
