About Parkinson’s disease

Imagine a world where the simplest things suddenly became a challenge: Enjoying a coffee with friends at your local café; Collecting change from the cashier at the supermarket; Trying on the latest fashions in the change room of your favourite store.

This is what life can be like for the 80,000 people currently living with Parkinson’s in Australia. Parkinson’s is a chronic, progressive and incurable neurological condition that can affect adults of all ages.

Parkinson’s is the second most common neurological condition affecting Australians (second only to dementia). While many people wrongly believe Parkinson’s “only affects the elderly”, more and more people are being diagnosed under 50, sometimes as young as 40 and even 30 years of age.

Symptoms and levels of severity can vary greatly from person to person. Common symptoms include tremor (trembling or shaking), rigidity of muscles and limbs, speech difficulty, loss of balance and coordination (which can lead to an increase in falls and injury), and slowness or loss of spontaneous movement. Other symptoms include depression, difficulty swallowing and sleeping and memory loss.

Parkinson’s is a lifelong disease and we are still searching for a cure.

We don't know what causes Parkinson’s, but every day, research takes us one step closer to understanding the condition and discovering a cure. In the meantime, Parkinson’s Victoria strives to make the lives of people living with Parkinson’s better, to enhance their quality of life and independence.

Since 1984, Parkinson’s Victoria has helped thousands of people in their journey with Parkinson’s, not only in the early stages of diagnosis, but as the condition progresses. We achieve this through our free telephone counselling service, community education seminars, by providing referrals to allied health specialists, family counselling, offering assistance in accessing government subsidies and advocacy, and funding research that will lead to discovering the cause and a cure for Parkinson’s.

Being diagnosed with a chronic illness like Parkinson’s can seem overwhelming, but every day, Parkinson’s Victoria is here to help by reducing the challenges that face those living with Parkinson’s and their families.

Find out more about Parkinson’s and Parkinson’s Victoria at www.parkinsonsvic.org.au. Or speak with our Client Services Team: (03) 9551 1122 or freecall: 1800 644 189.

Anne Atkin is an artist, retired-primary teacher and librarian and mum. Diagnosed at 55, Anne is also one of thousands of Australians who live with the challenge of Parkinson’s every day. To read more of Anne’s story click here.