The Parkinson's Association Tulip Day Festival held in the Araluen Botanic Park

11/9/99
The Parkinson's Association Tulip Day Festival was launched today by Health Minister John Day.
The one-day festival was held in the Araluen Botanic Park and marked the end of Parkinson's Week for 1999.
Mr Day said Parkinson's disease affected 3,700 Western Australians with the neurological condition causing tremors, muscle rigidity and sluggish physical and mental responses.
"Although the disease is thought of as only targeting the elderly, the average age of diagnosis is 55 years and it has been diagnosed in people as young as 21 years," he said.
"The disease is a chronic, slowly progressive condition with no known cure, which can have a profound effect on a person's lifestyle by reducing their ability to control their movement.
"Although Parkinson's is not fatal, the latter stages of the disease are typified by severe disability, reliance on comprehensive continuing care and access to specialist treatment."
The Minister said the State Government provided a $90,000 grant to the Parkinson's Association of WA (PAWA) towards the cost of providing a nurse specialist. An additional $30,000 grant had also been provided to help train professional medical staff in rural centres in WA.
"The Government is very supportive of the tremendous work that PAWA is doing to increase community awareness about this debilitating disease," the Minister said.
"In addition, the Health Department is currently working with PAWA on the possible establishment of a centre for the care and treatment of people with Parkinson's Disease."
Mr Day commended PAWA's tulip festival as an important event to increase community awareness of the disease and to raise funds for research and treatment.
Media contact: Mark Thompson on 9213 6600