This past Tuesday, we heard from Laura Young, pictured, a Fund Development and Event Co-ordinator for the Parkinson’s Association of Alberta (PAA). Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic, progressive, neurodegenerative disease. It is associated with the loss of Dopamine transmitting neurons in the brain and can affect both motor and non-motor functions. Once symptoms appear, greater than eighty percent of these neurons have been lost. Symptoms can include tremor in hands and legs at rest, difficulty moving, stiffness and pain, difficulty talking, loss of sleep, loss of senses of smell and taste, depression, bladder control issues, constipation, hallucinations and paranoia. The average age of onset is fifty-eight years of age. It is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimers. The incidence of this disease is the same worldwide and affects people from all walks of life. There is no known cause or cure. The many treatments currently in use control symptoms or slow the progression of the disease. There are currently about ten thousand people in Alberta living with Parkinson’s disease. The cost to the health systems in Alberta is about one thousand dollars per month per patient.
The association provides services in seven districts in Alberta, Edmonton, Calgary, Grande Prairie, Lethbridge, Lloydminster, Medicine Hat, and Red Deer. The Edmonton office and support services are located in the Buchanan Center. They currently help about one thousand clients in the Edmonton area. They provide many different services and programs designed to provide help for today and hope for tomorrow for both clients and caregivers. They provide a help line, counselling services, sponsor twelve support groups on the Edmonton area, and also provide services in the areas of the arts, education, physical activities and social activities. They also sponsor a yearly conference, with educational speakers. The conference this year will be held on 26 of May at the Central Edmonton Lions Seniors Center. They also provide funding for several local Parkinson’s research programs based in Alberta. These include Dr. Patrick Flood, researching the role of inflammation in PD, Dr. Janis Miyasaki, Advanced Care Planning and Dr. Nils Daniel Forkert, Medical Imaging Analysis.
The association does not have a consistent source of government funding, so it relies on many different public fundraising ventures. They raise about sixty percent of their funding each year from fundraising. These currently include Petals for Parkinson’s, Step’n Stride, Circle of Help and Champions of Hope. Last year the Step’n Stride fundraiser in Edmonton alone had over six hundred participants, who raised over one hundred fifty thousand dollars for the PAA. They are always looking for other sources of funding, and any and all donations are welcome.
