Parkinson’s UK, a Parkinson’s support charity is holding an awareness event, ‘Living well with Parkinson’s’ with an aim to spread awareness about the disease, particularly within the South Asian community in Bradford.
The event, scheduled to take place on Saturday, 17 June is inviting South Asian families affected by Parkinson’s for a “free information day”.
This free seminar looks to provide tips for coping with Parkinson’s disease and put you in touch with nearby resources.
Suggestions will be provided in 170 languages by advisors who provide support for those who have the disease and their families. The attendees will have a chance to meet local Parkinson’s experts and medical personnel who offer assistance and care in your area.
Those attending will also be given the opportunity to make connections with others learning about activities that can help people control their symptoms and live well while living with Parkinson’s.
There will be sessions from 10:30 am to 2:30 pm, plenty of breaks, and a complimentary hot buffet lunch. People are invited to arrive at 10am to talk to stallholders, and welcome to stay until 3:30pm to talk to speakers, medical professionals, and Parkinson’s UK staff.
The disease is widely regarded a taboo in the South Asian community, thus causing them to avoid medical care. This taboo sometimes causes superstition to creep in, and some people regard those suffering from the condition as someone being in a ‘demonic possession.’ People with the conditions are often isolated due to this stigma.
Image: Parkinson’s UK
Dentist Shafaq Hussain-Ali was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s four years ago. A member of Parkinson’s UK’s Race Equality in Research Steering Group, Shafaq will share her Parkinson’s story at the event. She said: “Parkinson’s can affect anyone, regardless of race or social background, but research has often failed to represent the diversity of the community.
”I want to get the message out that young Asian people like me can be affected by Parkinson’s, support is available for the condition, and there are opportunities to get involved with Parkinson’s research.
“With appropriate management you can carry on living well and have a fun productive life with a Parkinson’s diagnosis. I am still a practising dentist who enjoys swimming, walking, kung fu, and crochet!”
Liz Nash, Research Support Network Manager at Parkinson’s UK, said: “We’re delighted to be hosting our Living well with Parkinson’s event in Bradford. This event is open to everyone, but we particularly encourage people from the South Asian community to attend. We know their experience is often under-represented in the Parkinson’s UK community and is crucial to fully understanding the condition.
Data published by Parkinson’s UK says that as of 2020, there were 121,000 cases of Parkinson’s in England
The main symptoms of Parkinson’s as per NHS includes, body tremors, slowness of movement and muscle stiffness.
The Parkinson’s UK event will be held at Bradford City Hall from 10:30am, on Saturday, 17 June.
You can register for the event from here
