Dear Listfriends,
As we try to come up with a useable estimate of our numbers, please
keep in mind that my estimate of 20 million in our total community of
those with Parkinson's and their caregivers is based on adding in Dan
Murray's 6-7 persons who are in the immediate family of each person with
Parkinson's(PWP)..
Of the 20 million in our "voting block," 3 million is composed of
three types of PWP's:
-those DIAGNOSED;
-those UNDIAGNOSED (with visible, but unrecognized symptoms);
-those who are PRE-SYMPTOMATIC.
Linda, Margaret and Phil, I'm right on your wavelength...I wish it is
simpler to actually document the numbers.
I heard about a survey in a Boston-area high-rise for the elderly --
I seem to remember that this was recently -- where about 1/3 of the 400
or more residents showed Parkinson's symptoms. I wish I could recall
where I heard this -- does anyone know?
I do think that we ought to talk about numbers with the members of
Congress, and I wonder what numbers we ought to use. It seems CRITICAL to
me to have a reasonable estimate--and my gut-level feeling is that 3
million PWP's is very likely to be useful.
There must be so MANY PWP's in veteran's homes, in nursing homes,
in boarding homes, and in hospitals who are countable, but what about
those in low-income neighborhoods, in urban ghettos, in poorer, rural
areas, hidden away alone or taken care of by families, in residential
hotels, in homeless shelters, in monasteries and cloisters, and even in
more comfortable families in which shame and fear prevent these PWP's
from being seen and counted?
Add to this the people who are not English-speaking, such as older
residents of Spanish-speaking and Asian language communities, and
immigrating refugee communties, and where not even the "tip of the
iceberg" has been counted.
Ivan Suzman
^^^^^^WARM GREETINGS FROM^^^^^^^^^^
Ivan Suzman 48/11 [log in to unmask]
Portland, Maine land of lighthouses deg. F
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On Thu, 11 Jun 1998 06:32:39 -0400 [log in to unmask]
writes:
>HOW MANY CASES OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE ARE THERE IN THE U.S.?
