COLUMBUS – A new initiative in Westerville seeks to create a community that is educated about Parkinson’s disease and better able to care for the people who struggle with its symptoms.
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The Parkinson’s Friendly Westerville project came about after similar campaigns in Minnesota proved successful, said Annie Wallis, program manager at the Ohio chapter of the Parkinson’s Foundation.
About 1 million Americans live with Parkinson’s disease and 60,000 are diagnosed each year, according to the Parkinson’s Foundation. A study released in January said it is the fastest-growing neurological disease worldwide and projected that global cases would double by 2040.
“We know that this is a growing problem and because of that, we’re really digging in now to make sure people know about the disease, about the resources available and about all the things they can do to live better with Parkinson’s,” Wallis said.
Participants in the Westerville initiative include the Ohio chapter of the Parkinson’s Foundation, the Parkside Village senior-living community, the Westerville Fire Division, Mount Carmel St. Ann’s hospital and the US WorldMeds specialty pharmaceutical company. Additionally, Westerville Mayor Craig Treneff issued a proclamation recognizing April as Parkinson’s Awareness Month.
To address the broader community, the Foundation will host a Parkinson’s-themed scavenger hunt from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Saturday, beginning at Westerville library, 126 S. State Street.
City spokeswoman Christa Dickey said the city wants to ensure that its senior-center programming is adequate and that city staff, including first-responders at the fire department, are familiar with the disease, and the Parkinson’s Foundation helps leaders find the right resources to make that happen.
“Anytime that there’s a disease or a disability that we can help though community programming, healthy living and active lifestyles, we want to do that,” she said.