New program marks World Parkinson's Day
On 11 April, World Parkinson’s Day, the Australian Government announced its support for an innovative program to train health professionals to better diagnose and treat Parkinson’s disease.
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11 April 2008
Today, World Parkinson’s Day, the Australian Government has announced its support for an innovative program to train health professionals to better diagnose and treat Parkinson’s disease.
In 2005, more than 54,700 Australians were estimated to have Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that impairs motor skills and speech.
The Government will provide $90,000 to Parkinson’s Australia for the development and implementation of the online education and support program, which will be accessible to all health professionals, including those in regional and remote Australia.
The program will be provided free-of-charge to medical practitioners and nurses and will equip them to better diagnose Parkinson’s disease and more effectively treat their patients.
The announcement underlines the Government’s commitment to providing the best possible support to people with chronic illnesses and their families, and to supporting research to improve the treatment of these conditions.
The underlying causes of Parkinson’s Disease are not well understood. While more accurate methods of diagnosis are being developed, research continues to explore the role that genes may play in people contracting Parkinson’s disease, as well as opportunities to develop new therapeutic approaches to alleviate or prevent it.
Total expenditure on research in this area by the National Health and Medical Research Council, between 2003 and 2007, was $19.8 million.
Media inquiries only: Sean Kelly - 0417 108 362
For all other inquiries please contact the Minister's office - 02 6277 7220
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