The facts about Parkinson's Disease (PD) are available from any of many sources. Any PD Association in the world will have a choice of excellent publications that will describe the disease in great depth. Indeed any good encyclopedia will contain an informative article on the subject. But to get some idea of how those facts relate to people with Parkinson's Disease (PWP) you will need to read the equally excellent (but somewhat longer) books written by PWP describing their individual experiences.

This booklet hopes to bridge the gap. It is written by a PWP for PWP, their carers and any other interested parties. " The Facts" are the facts, "The PD Experience" is by definition subjective. Together I hope they answer some of your questions.

What is Parkinson's Disease?

Parkinson's Disease is a disease of the central nervous system which affects movement and speech. It is named after Dr James Parkinson, who in 1817 wrote the first description of the condition which he called the 'Shaking Palsy'.