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Hilary Blue wrote: Once again, I agree with you totally. The health care provided for the so-called 'indigent' is woefully inadequate. Not only PWPs but right across the board. THere are many diseases going undiagnosed and untreated. And I believe this will be a political issue - should be, MUST be - on a local, state and federal level. But this is not specific to PD. I'm not suggesting we abandon these people. I'm just suggesting - hoping - that others will adddress their needs. Meanwhile there are those among us, members of our own communities - members of this list - who are facing hardship. Individuals who are known to us personally through the net, or support groups, or maybe we've met them at a conference. Or just heard their stories on the list. BUt they are people with names (and sometimes faces) that we recognise. Who are having hard times. Maybe a marriage is breaking up because the strains of dealing with PD have baecome too great. Maybe someone is facing foreclosure because the cost of the disease has overtaken his financial resources - maybe someone does not have medical insurance. or cannot afford the medication or has lost his job becuse of PD but doesnt qualify for SSI - whatever. What i am trying to say is that there are people close to home that need help. We don't have to go out and look for them. I dont know how we would put this into practice, but wouldnt it be nice if there ws some kind of fund that people on the list could tap into in their time of need - maybe get low interest loans, or outright gifts. Or even some sort of pension fund. TO supplement the woefully inadequate Social Security payments - but without prejudicing the rights to those payments. It is all very complex. Sometimes the assistance needed is not simple money. The cost of adequate care is very high to those who do not have it. Not all of us are blessed with spouses or adult children capable of caring for us Maybe one of the large home health agencies would sponsor home care to some needy individuals. THe field is ripe for investigation - into supply and demand. We dont even know what people need, let alone how to fill those needs. I suggest that this area is as important a one for investigation and funding as finding the cure. Because we have to stay alive to get the cure. And for some of us, just a little extra financial support may make that difference. Hilary Blue > William Harshaw wrote: > > > > Hilary & Michel, > > > > My concern is with the people in our society who are undiagnosed through no > > fault of their own, except perhaps that they live in the inner cities of our > > large metropolitan areas. Some years ago I challenged the Parkinson > > Foundation of Canada to conduct an inner city census to get an idea of who > > had what and was undiagnosed. we do so little for the inner city residents > > except to belittle them and libel them by stereotyping them as lazy n'er do > > wells. To my shame nothing was done. > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Hilary Blue <[log in to unmask]> > > To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]> > > Date: Saturday, August 28, 1999 5:19 PM > > Subject: Re: cyber PD and serendipity > > > > >Yes, I agree with you 100%. It would be wonderful if every PWP had a > > computer > > >and access to the internet. ANd I regard that as a basic need. For me > > >personally, I think I would stifle without the ablility to communicate with > > my > > >fellow human beings. And as my hand writing shrinks to nothing, and my > > voice > > >fades to a mumble, the internet assumes more and more importance. > > > BUT, and this is a great big but, there are many of the basics that some > > >people would consider even more important than computers !!! > > >I refer to > > >housing, > > >food, > > >clothing, > > >medication > > >and > > >CAREGIVERS. > > >>From time to time, we see appeals on the list. > > >Or hear stories of people in need. > > >My concern is with those people. > > >What say you? > > > > > >Hilary Blue > > > > > > > > >Michel Margosis wrote: > > >> > > >> > My concern is always with those who don't have > > >> > access to a computer or to the net. They are the ones who suffer is > > >> > isolation. If I could advocate for anything it would be to give every > > PWP a > > >> > computer with free internet access > > >> > > > >> Thank you, Joan, for your note. With respect to your thought expressed > > >> above, our support group (Capital Chapter of NPF) did exactly that. One > > >> of our members had a source of usable computers that were surplused by a > > >> large company and these PC's were donated to individual PWP. In my > > >> mind, that is a worthwhile activity for any support group. > > >> > > >> Michel > > >