The Parkinson's Disease Society (PDS) Today Welcomed Phil Hope As New Minister For Care Services, UK

Main Category: Parkinson's Disease
Article Date: 07 Oct 2008 - 10:00 PDT

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Steve Ford, Chief Executive of the PDS said:

"We look forward to working with Phil Hope to ensure the needs of people with Parkinson's and their carers are taken into consideration.

"The biggest challenge facing the Minister will be reforming the system for delivering and funding social care. The government has acknowledged that the current system will be unable to meet the needs of an aging population, and the new Minister faces the huge task of setting out a new system for delivering care, which is fair, flexible, easy to understand and which meets the needs of people with Parkinson's and their families.

"The PDS estimates that one in three people with Parkinson's have some form of Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD). This form of dementia has unique barriers to diagnosis, so the PDS will continue to lobby the government to acknowledge PDD in the forthcoming Dementia Strategy. Just as importantly carers, as a group at risk of poor health, continue to lack access to the information and services they require, which we hope will be addressed in the National Carers' Strategy.

"Addressing these key issues will mean we are closer to ensuring a good quality of life for all people with Parkinson's and their carers. "

Notes

- PDS's recent members' survey, Life with Parkinson's today: Room for improvement showed that carers were not getting the information and services they need, with only a quarter of carers aware of their right to assessment, and over half of carers reporting poor health themselves.

About the Parkinson's Disease Society

The Parkinson's Disease Society (PDS) is the leading authority in the UK on the condition and a world leader in research. We campaign for a better quality of life for people with Parkinson's wherever they live in the UK. We provide expert information on all aspects of Parkinson's and a local support network for people with Parkinson's, their carers, families and friends. We are the UK's leading non-commercial funder of research into the cause, prevention and improved management of Parkinson's and are confident that our work will help lead to a cure. We are totally dependent on voluntary donations.

Our freephone Helpline, which provides help and advice to all people affected by Parkinson's, can be reached by calling 0808 800 0303 Monday-Friday 9.30am-9pm and Saturday 9.30am-5.30pm.

We are a membership organisation but support all people affected by Parkinson's.

Parkinson's Disease Society