UK researchers have spent the past three years looking into the physical and emotional impacts of the disease. Proving dance may offer benefits to a person’s intellectual, social, physical and artistic aspects. With an estimated seven to 10 million people worldwide living with Parkinson’s disease, the impact reaches far and wide.
To provide you with an insight into the prevalence here at home, it is estimated around 80,000 people are currently living with Parkinson’s disease in Australia. This is a steady increase in the last decade and consistent with an ageing population.
An estimated 5-8% of the residential aged care population in Australia are living with with Parkinson’s disease. The majority of people in aged care are over the age of 65 years. Often the main reason they require an admission to a nursing home is due to a decline in function, as the disease progresses to later stage.
However, that said, not all people with later stage Parkinson’s require an admission to a nursing home.
The significant risk factors that influence the need for an admission to a nursing home (other than age) were dementia, hallucinations or confusion, restrictions with daily activities falls and balance problems, disease stage.
