Introduction
Many people with Parkinson’s (even those on well-tailored medication regimes) find it takes a lot of time and effort to do everyday activities. Simple yet common daily tasks, like fastening buttons, writing, eating and turning over in bed may lose their natural flow. Over the years walking and other abilities may gradually become more hesitant. Even those with mild Parkinson’s may notice changes in the way they think, affecting their ability to make choices, plan and organise their work and day to day life. This can make life seem frustrating and very tiring. As a result, the quality of daily life may be significantly reduced. However, with the right support, people with Parkinson’s can continue to lead productive lives at home and in the workplace. Good quality support will enable the person with Parkinson’s to be as independent as possible.
Occupational Therapists (OTs) strive to help people to be as independent as they can, and to live healthy and fulfilling lives. Occupational Therapy can assist people with Parkinson’s to optimise their health and cope better with their symptoms by enabling improved ability to manage the daily activities which they need or choose to do. OTs are highly trained professionals, who work in hospitals, social care services, schools, businesses, charities, and various other settings. They work with people of all ages, helping them find easier ways of carrying out the activities that they need or want to do. OTs achieve this by teaching new or easier methods of doing chosen activities. Or, by giving advice about a suitable piece of equipment to help perform a difficult task more easily. In other situations, an OT may recommend use of self-management techniques, relevant services, or other forms of support, to enable the achievement of specific personal goals.
Many people with Parkinson’s report improved ease of doing everyday tasks and an enhanced quality of their daily lives after receiving advice and assistance from an OT service. However, there is currently little information about this and a lack of firm evidence to support these claims.
This anonymous web-based Survey is being conducted to find out about the circumstances, opinions and experiences that people with Parkinson’s have of OT. We are inviting people with Parkinson’s and their families or friends, who live in Norway, Sweden, Slovenia and the United Kingdom to complete this Survey. We hope you will to tell us about yourself and about things such as how long you waited to see an OT, where you saw them and how often. We also want to know what sorts of activities your OT was able to help you with and if you would recommend OT to other people with similar health concerns.
We plan to analyse the data that we collect from the Survey and will publish our results here on the EPDA website and in medical journals. We hope that our results will be used to inform the public, as well as for healthcare planning, service design and ultimately to help improve the support available to people living with Parkinson’s across Europe and beyond.
Download
