Hilary Blue wrote :"maybe a fund could be established to set up housing
for yoppers and other single pwps who have no particular ;place to go
or person to care for them?"
Hilary, what an intelligent and forward thinking pig you have raised! But
after meeting her owner at the Forum, I'm not at all surprised. :)
I'm now close to the 5 year anniversary of my PD diagnosis (Dec 4, 1995),
and have been a member of this list for almost as long. Over this time
I've been privileged to get to know many wonderful people, and also have
been saddened as I witnessed the growing destruction of so many of these
good lives, as their PD progressed. Some of us are truly blessed with
dedicated partners and caregivers - my own Ed, Fred Krebs, Leo Fuhr,
Donna Testa to name a just few I know in "real life." But many others are
facing this disease all alone.
While doing research in the Parkinsn List archives, back to the list's
beginning, (thanks, Simon Coles) I've found continuing discussions over
the years about the crucial unmet need for assisted living arrangements,
shared housing and "PD villages." Just recently Chris Robie wrote that
his young onset support group in Australia is working on getting a multi
-level care facility built; there are also a number of assisted living
facilities for PWP in the United Kingdom, which Simon Coles' father
Derek, helped become a reality. Maybe there are other such projects out
there -- I hope so.
Hilary, I think it's a great idea to ask the Parkinson's Alliance, and
all the other U.S. Parkinson's organizations, to become involved in
developing and funding programs to help PWP in need of better care and
living arrangements. Funding the research for a future cure is of primary
importance, but improving the current quality of life for PWPs,
especially those struggling on their own, also deserves attention.
Perhaps this is a problem our PD organizations could collaborate on, and
work together on to find solutions to?
Please -- let's hear more replies to Hilary's message.
Linda
