I am a 53 year old, working full-time, who was first diagnosed wih PD in
February, 1986. I am still functional, athough I tire easily. My med level
is one and one-half tablets of Sinemet 25-100 CR every three hours, eldepryl
twice daily, and Permax .25mg every 6 hours.
At this stage, I can care for myself, drive, sail my sailboat, enjoy my
other hobbies, and generally lead a "normal" life. However, for reasons
that I won't go into here, I'm about to change my marital status (after 28
years) back to "single". What concerns me is that I can foresee a time when
I will be unable to care for myself. What to do then? Enter a nursing home
and give up my lifestyle, including my hobbies, which include things like
amateur radio , photography, computing, model railroading, and several
others that require a living space of one's own? The prospect makes me
shudder!
How easy it would be to buy a condominium in a place that was planned and
designed with us in mind. It would solve a myriad of problems at once.
Meals, floorplans, special care, medical facilities, and other amenities
would be complemented by the companionship of the only people who can TRULY
understand the daily frustrations, trials and tribulations that each of us
now face individually.
Of course, the ultimate solution for me, and for all of us, would be to
have a cure before I get to that stage.
On reflection, I guess this list is as close as we can come to an actual
village for now. I look forward each day to reading my E-mail, and have a
sense of "belonging" again. I am definitely interested in helping to form a
"co-op" of people who would buy into a project such as this. Maybe we can
generate enough interest to entice a developer to take a serious look at
undertaking such a project, perhaps as an adjunct to a general retirement
community.
-Jim Fox ([log in to unmask])
