Provide a Parkinson's Family Getaway Refresh Weekend Parkinson Society Southwestern Ontario

This project is critical in allowing us to ease the burden of 100 families (340 people) affected by Parkinson’s in Southwestern Ontario. For a person with Parkinson’s, each day can be a struggle to perform common tasks that most of us take for granted. Caregivers are often spouses or adult children that take on the responsibility of caring, many times at the expense of their own health. Medication can lessen the symptoms, but there is currently no cure for this progressive, neurodegenerative disease. In Canada there are currently 100,000 people living with Parkinson’s, and with the aging population, we anticipate that the incidence of Parkinson’s and the need for Parkinson’s services, will double by the year 2016. In Southwestern Ontario, approximately 9000 people live with Parkinson’s not including immediate and extended families also touched by this disease. Our project will focus on education and support for caregivers, people with Parkinson's, children and grandchildren.