Most people would love to live to be a ripe old age - and with the advancements in life-saving technology and medicine such a wish can easily become a reality. While life expectancy has increased over the decades unfortunately the fact remains that the older people get, the more susceptible they are to age-related conditions. One such condition is Parkinson's disease - a disorder characterized by rigidity of the body, tremors, inability to straighten the posture and a slow gait.
"Parkinson's disease is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder which research shows is a result of the brain stopping the production of an essential chemical called Dopamine. This means the nervous system is systematically broken down over time and it mostly affects mobility and a person's mood," according to Dr. Edwin Demeritte, neurologist at the Bahamas Neurological Center. "The usual onset of the illness is 60 years old but it can present early depending on the individual. Even if there isn't a history of this disease in your family, each additional decade you age beyond this point, your likelihood of developing it doubles. When you look at the present life expectancy in The Bahamas the average age is 88 for females and males is about 75.5 years, so because we are living longer, it is expected that we are seeing a higher prevalence of this illness in recent years."
Even though there are many people who are likely to have this illness, the doctor said it is probably not well represented by the current known case due to people not recognizing it, or being embarrassed about having the illness, or admitting that they have a family member who suffers from it. This approach, he said, actually does more harm than good, and treatments that can be used to manage the condition are made less effective the longer people go without seeking help.
Early symptoms of the illness may include a slight tremor that can be in one side of the body or both, rigidity of muscles, difficulty walking and slow and limited movement.

The cure
"Despite this illness being present for centuries there is still no cure for it. But there are treatments that can help to slow down the progression of the illness and if treated well many persons can live 20 to 30 years beyond the onset of the disorder," said the doctor.
"The unfortunate thing is that people are mostly unwilling to seek help for the elderly members of their families due to assuming the person is just old and this is a natural part of old aging. While this can be true it is still advised that when your family member starts to show signs of stiffening, tremors and a slow gait that is not natural for them, it should be checked out by a physician in case it is something more serious or it can be treated."
There is no lab test to indicate if a person has Parkinson's disease, but a series of observational tests and interviews are necessary for proper diagnosis.
If the disorder is left untreated the doctor said it can lead to mobility degenerating rapidly. By an average of eight years, independent mobility would have been lost and the person may be entirely bedridden by 10 years without treatment. Cognitive decline, dementia or other cognitive conditions may rapidly develop as well as a result of not seeking treatment. Overall, the mortality rate of people with Parkinson's disease almost doubles compared to persons unaffected with the illness.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) 2010 statistics Parkinson's Disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease and the 14th leading cause of death in the United States.

"You don't want to leave this condition untreated as it's not just motor skills that are affected but also the cognitive health of persons at stake," said Dr. Demeritte. "Cognitive abilities can decrease rapidly over the years without treatment and a normally independent family member may fall quickly into dependence unnecessarily."

Treatment
According to the neurologist, the main treatments for Parkinson's is use of medication Levodopa, multidisciplinary management and on occasion even surgery. There is help for this condition and to ensure your family member has the best chance at remaining independent as long as possible early and consistent treatment is necessary."
The illness not only affects the people afflicted, but the whole family emotionally, physically and financially. It is for this reason that despite how the person afflicted may feel about it family members getting help and showing support every step of the way is essential.
To bring awareness to this debilitating condition, the Kingdor National Parkinson's Foundation hosts its 12th annual Gala Ball under the theme "Love is a Song Worth Singing" on Saturday, April 21 at the Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort, Cable Beach at which Grammy award winning artist, Regina Belle will perform. Tickets for the event are $250.
The Kingdor National Parkinson's Foundation (KNPF) was established in 2000 by Mavis Darling-Hill, an advocate for awareness and research who had a family member afflicted with Parkinson's disease. The organization was designed to assist people with the illness as well as educate those not aware of the disorder. One of the primary goals of the organization is to help raise funds to assist in finding the cause and the cure of Parkinson's disease.
Actor Michael J. Fox and boxer Muhammed Ali are two famous persons who are afflicted with Parkinson's disease.

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