Wockhardt Hospital, Mira Road Launches Support Group for Parkinson Patients and Their Families
Mumbai: Wockhardt Hospitals Mira Road launched a support group to bring together patients and their caregivers and guide them regarding proper treatment and care. The programme will provide comprehensive, personalized, and holistic support to the patient by addressing the clinical, physical, diet prudence, and emotional needs. The event saw the participation of 50 patients and families.
Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that develops slowly and the symptoms are seen over a period of time. The motor skills of a person tend to get affected as the central nervous system is compromised. Shaking, tremors, rigidity, difficulty walking, and moving are the red flags of Parkinson’s disease. Since the disease attacks the dopamine-producing neurons, Parkinson’s is linked to mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, and nervousness.
Dr Pavan Pai, Consultant Interventional Neurologist, Wockhardt Hospitals, Mira Road said, “A large number of people are living with Parkinson’s disease. Along with the patient, even his/her family is under stress. The patient has various problems such as rigidness, stiffness, speech problems, and inability to control movements. It becomes challenging to take care of such patients. There is a lack of awareness regarding this disease. People ignore signs like tremors and slowness in their daily activities attributing them to old age, or stress and depression. Parkinson’s is not just an old man’s disease that happens in 60-70 years of age it is usually idiopathic meaning no particular cause can be attributed to it. Now, it is rarely seen in youngsters (under 50) and is known as young-onset Parkinson’s disease (YOPD). One may get it at a younger age due to genetic factors. Secondary Parkinson’s occurs due to repeated head injury, chemical exposure, and post-encephalitic (after brain infection). With the help of a support group, the patient will be able to deal with physical, mental, and emotional changes occurring due to the disease.”
Dr Pai added “The motto is to overcome myriad challenges that patients with Parkinson’s face and help them to understand the disease in a better way. The program consisted of sessions by experts Dr. Siddharth Warrier, Consultant Neurologist and movement disorder specialist, Dr Ashwin Borkar and Dr Vinod Rambal, Consultant Neurosurgeons, and Dr Imran Khan, Physiotherapist who discuss various aspects of Parkinson’s and how to deal with them. Many patients and caregivers too shared their experiences. The Parkinson’s Support Group encourages the patients to manage the disease via exercise and therapies apart from medication and helps them to improve their quality of life. Parkinson’s has no cure but can be effectively tackled with the help of expert guidance. There are advances in the management of the disease and we have a skilled team to handle severe cases.”
“Caregiving is a stressful job and requires a lot of patience. It was a great informative event organized by the hospital. We were imparted with knowledge regarding the disease, symptoms, and how to manage it. We got an opportunity to interact with experts and other caregivers which will help us in managing our loved ones with Parkinson’s in a better way. We thank the hospital for coming up with such a unique initiative. Hope to attend more such events conducted by the hospital,” concluded caregiver Mrs. Anju Shah ( Name changed)
