April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month
Parkinson’s disease (PD) occurs when brain cells that make dopamine, a chemical that coordinates movement, stop working or die. It is a progressive, degenerative neurological condition that affects a person’s control of their body movements. It is important to note that not everyone will experience the same symptoms, and the order in which symptoms appear and the way symptoms progress also varies from person to person. Non-motor symptoms such as sleep disturbance, constipation and loss of sense of smell can pre-date the motor symptoms, such as a tremor, slowness of movement or rigidity, by up to a decade.
Did you know…
- 200,000 Australians currently live with Parkinson’s disease
- The prevalence of Parkinson’s has doubled in the last 25 years
- 38 Australians will be diagnosed with Parkinson’s today
This Parkinson’s Awareness Month, we’ve kicked off our Pause 4 Parkinson’s campaign, and we need your help.
During the month of April, you can pledge a donation, or participate in fundraising or clinical trials, to be part of funding research towards a cure.
It’s easy to get involved.
Can you participate in fundraising this April?
Raise vital funds by getting your friends together for a World Parkinson’s Day picnic, or challenge yourself to pedal, push-up or pace for Parkinson’s. There are so many ways to fundraise and make a difference.
Be on the cutting-edge of research and participate in clinical trials.
Whether you live with or without Parkinson’s, care for someone with the disease, or work with PD patients, there’s a project looking for your input so they can improve care, progress treatments and find a cure.
This year, Shake It Up Australia and the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute are calling on people who don’t have Parkinson’s, aged 45 and above, to join a control group for the Australian Parkinson’s Genetics Study (APGS) to help us ‘crack the code’ on Parkinson’s.
Is April a bit busy? You can simply pledge a donation for Parkinson’s research.
100% of all funds raised for Shake It Up Australia go directly to cutting-edge research, so you can be confident that your money is going straight to our best chance for a cure.
If you need help with fundraising, or have questions about Pause 4 Parkinson’s,
please get in touch with our Community Fundraising and Events Manager, Isobel.
Download Your Free Parkinson’s Awareness Month Infographic Here
You can find more information about Parkinson’s here:
