Parkinson's Awareness Week 2017: We Won't Wait
On Monday 10 April, we launched our We Won't Wait campaign and released figures that show a lack of awareness of Parkinson's.
It's our first public fundraising campaign, and we're putting the money towards vital research, so we can find better treatments and a cure, in years not decades.
Why now?
2017 marks 200 years since the pioneering surgeon James Parkinson first wrote about the condition in his 'Essay on the Shaking Palsy'.
But people with Parkinson's still don't have access to drugs which can stop, slow down or reverse the condition.
The science is ready. New treatments are within our grasp, and we won't wait any longer for them.
Lack of awareness
New figures released by us today reveal a lack of awareness of the challenges people with Parkinson's face in trying to manage their condition.
Despite being an incurable, degenerative condition which can affect anyone:
- half (49%) of people are unsure, or wrongly say that it is possible to prevent Parkinson's
- 4 in 5 (83%) are unsure, or incorrectly think that there is no limit to the amount of time Parkinson's medication works for
- 3 in 5 (62%) wrongly believe that Parkinson's medication does more than mask or ease the symptoms of the condition.
"We can't do this alone"
Steve Ford, Chief Executive at Parkinson's UK, said:
"Parkinson's can leave people struggling to walk, talk and sleep. Today, we say we won't wait any longer.
"That's why Parkinson's UK is spearheading, with the expertise of the research community and the support of those living with Parkinson's, the step change needed to deliver better treatments and a cure faster.
"But we can't do this alone. That's why we're urgently asking people to donate, in our first ever public fundraising campaign, whatever they can to support our vital work. We won't tolerate Parkinson's treatments falling behind."