More Parkinson’s nurses needed

Australia’s aged care facilities will reportedly be “swamped by a tidal wave” of Parkinson’s sufferers unless governments act now.

Sydney-based Parkinson’s disease expert, Associate Professor Simon Lewis from the University of Sydney, says rates are expected to jump 80% over the next 20 years as Australia’s population rapidly ages.

Professor Lewis is expected to present new research on the benefits of community-based Parkinson’s nurses at a nursing conference on the Gold Coast last week.

He compared the health of Parkinson’s sufferers and their carers in Shoalhaven, NSW, before and six months after they were placed in the care of a specialist nurse.

The results showed the patient’s and carers’ health had dramatically improved after the assistance of a specialist nurse was sought.

According to Professor Lewis, the UK is a step ahead of Parkinson’s disease management after the employment of specialist nurses.

The nurses reportedly give “vital support to carers that had been [previously] lacking”.

“You get told in a consulting room, ‘yes, your husband has this condition and it’s going to get worse’ and then of course the door closes and there’s very little support beyond that point,” he claimed.

The results also showed depression in carers was one of the main causes of patients moving from home care into an aged care facility.

“If we can keep those people healthier the bottom line is that we should be able to prevent or delay patients with these conditions going into nursing home care,” Professor Lewis said.

The nurses can take on up to 300 patients for home visits and act as a go-between with patients’ other specialists.

Professor Lewis said nurses are keen to undertake training in the area but governments must create jobs for them.

The ACT and Tasmania have created some places for Parkinson’s nurses but there needed to be a “bigger, nation-wide push”, according to Professor Lewis.

Parkinson’s Australia, who funded the research, told DPS News it agreed with the findings and statements.

“Parkinson’s Australia strongly supports the provision of specialist nursing in the community to assist people with Parkinson’s, their families and carers, to address the disease, its progress and improved quality of life,” Parkinson’s Australia chief executive, Darryl Smeaton, said.

Mr Smeaton remains proactive in his consultations with Medicare Locals as he encourages Locals to look at the health needs of their populations, making sure they understand “what Parkinson’s means for them”.

“We’re also encouraging them to employ a Parkinson’s specialist in one or more Medicare Locals,” he said.