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26 Sep 2011 by Briony Cooke

In fact, when meeting friends who enquire how I am, my answer is always "I'm OK thanks, and how are you?" There is little point in complaining about symptoms – bradykinesia, cog-wheeling and dystonia, because they need explanation and all they wanted to know is that I am OK. Besides, nowadays, I find many of my contemporaries have their own health problems some of which are much more serious than mine.

Educating Chris

23 Sep 2011 by Chris Boughton

I am very pleased to report that my first week as a mature student, studying for BA (Hons) in History and Sociology at our local college, went extremely well. In fact I could not have hoped for much better given that I am over 7 years post Parkinsons disease (PD) diagnosis. I apologise if I have been slightly indulgent about my new course but, as I hoped, I am currently totally absorbed by it and wonderfully distracted from the usual daily reality of life with PD.

Facing the Future

14 Sep 2011 by Meg Pinfield

It has become urgent to build in help from care providers. We have already applied for a carer’s assessment and we have also had visits from carers’ support workers (from Age UK and the local Rural Community Council). They have provided valuable advice and information on care agencies. They have also helped me to see that there is no shame in being unable to cope. I am not alone as a struggling carer. So now we are, at last, welcoming the help of caring strangers into the heart of our private life.

Back to School

09 Sep 2011 by Chris Boughton

So on the 19th of September I start a 3 year BA (Hons) degree course in History and Sociology at our local college which is affiliated to the University College Suffolk (UCS) and the University of East Anglia (UEA). The campus is located less than 10 minutes’ drive from where we live and my classroom attendance is only 9 hours a week, in 1.5 hour sessions. So I plan to fit the rest of the study time around my Parkinson’s symptoms either at the college or at home. I will have to manage my pills very carefully though to try to avoid any wearing off occurring whilst I am at college.

The Big Outdoors

07 Sep 2011 by Briony Cooke

This back-to-nature holiday proved to be a great success and helped to rebuild my self-confidence. It was morale boosting to be outdoors and to take a few calculated risks. This experience made me realise that I can still be a bit daring even with Parkinson's disease.

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