Parkinson’s Awareness Week 2019
As part of our commitment to helping clients who are older or vulnerable, we wanted to raise the awareness of Parkinson’s disease.
Parkinson’s was discovered in 1817 by a British surgeon Dr James Parkinson. It is a condition where parts of the brain become progressively damaged over a number of years and affects slightly more men than women.
Unfortunately the cause of Parkinson’s is unknown and whilst there is no known cure for Parkinson’s, there are a number of different treatments available.
The three main symptoms are
- involuntary shaking of particular parts of the body,
- slow movement and
- stiff and inflexible muscles.
There are also a number of other symptoms such as loss of the sense of smell, problems sleeping and with balance, as well as memory problems and many people will suffer from depression or anxiety.
Since symptoms vary from person to person, so do the treatments.With all conditions that affect the brain, early diagnosis and treatment is often very important.
As part of getting your affairs in order, consideration should be given to ensuring that your will is up to date, and that you have lasting powers of attorney. You may need help in the future to deal with your property and financial affairs, such as paying bills or selling your house. Or you may not be able to make your own decisions about health & welfare. The lasting powers of attorney allow you to appoint someone you trust to help you and they can then make those decisions for you if you are not able to do so yourself. The powers of attorney also allow you to give guidance /preferences and instructions/restrictions on what your attorney should/can do for you.
Some people also want to have a living will or advance directive setting out clearly what treatments they do want or do not want to have in the future.
It is important for anyone considering their future and these important documents to have advice from someone independent who specialises in this complex area.
To get in touch about this matter please contact Charles Fraser.
Please note the contents of this blog are given for information only and must not be relied upon. Legal advice should always be sought in relation to specific circumstances.
