http://www.parkinson.ca/pnet85/pnet85-2.html#pacific
Pacific Parkinsons Research Institute
Commissions Study
The Pacific Parkinsons Research Institute commissioned Angus Reid Group
to identify and analyze the perception of Parkinsons. “The resulting
report entitled Public Perceptions of Parkinson’s Disease points to the
fact that while Parkinsons is widely known the severity of the condition
is completely underestimated,” stated Honourable John L. Nichol, the
Institute’s chairman.
The report, completed in the fall of 1997, found that while 94% of the
respondents had heard of Parkinsons, and at least almost all respondents
could describe some of its characteristics, less than 10 per cent of the
respondents could describe the totality of the impact that Parkinsons
has on an individual. Parkinsons, at least the awareness of it, is
similar to that of Multiple Sclerosis (98%), Epilepsy (97%), Alzheimer
(97%), Lou Gehrigs or ALS (93%) and Huntingtons (90%).
More than forty percent of the respondents personally knew someone who
had suffered or is suffering from Parkinsons. The majority (52%) of
respondents believed that this disorder can be exacting on family
members, both in human and monetary terms.
The study found that Parkinsons is not perceived to be a serious public
health problem. Specifically, Parkinsons is deemed to be a less serious
issue than Cancer, Heart & Stroke, AIDS and Alzheimer, in descending
order. About one-quarter of the respondents (27%) said they thought and
worried about Parkinsons from time to time. Finally, the study
found that respondents believe that Alzheimer and Parkinsons are health
conditions to think about in later life, ranking ahead of Heart &
Stroke, Cancer and AIDS, respectively.
The study also gauged the general mood of respondents when it came to
health care spending. The study asked respondents to allocate health
care dollars and found that, of ever 100 health care dollars available
the respondents allocated more to children’s health issues ($43) than to
health conditions primarily affecting seniors ($31), with adults
receiving third priority ($26).
The Pacific Parkinsons Research Institute, Vancouver BC, is an
organization dedicated to research and treatment of Parkinson’s Disease
and related disorders and supports the work of the Movement Disorder
Clinic, The Vancouver Hospital and Health Sciences Centre at the
University of British Columbia.
The above summary provides only an overview of the type of information
contained in the study. The Foundation would like to thank the Institute
for permission to highlight key findings. For more information contact
the Pacific Parkinsons Research Institute, Suite 210, 1095 West Pender
Street, Vancouver, B.C., V6E 2M6. Tel: (604) 681-5508.
--
Judith Richards, London, Ontario, Canada
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