ON October 9, 2013, the Bay Post/Moruya Examiner told the shire a Parkinson’s disease nurse was “needed now”.
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Parkinson’s is a progressive, neurodegenerative disease that belongs to the group of conditions called motor system disorders.
It cannot yet be cured and sufferers get worse over time as the normal bodily functions, including breathing, balance, movement, and heart function worsen.
Evidence from Parkinson’s NSW shows specialist neurological nurses help to delay a sufferer’s entry into aged care facilities and reduce anxiety for patients and carers.
Betty Byrne of the Eurobodalla Parkinson’s Support Group knew the numbers justified the campaign for the shire’s own neurological nurse.
Until June last year, Parkinson’s sufferers and their carers travelled to Ulladulla to see a specialist nurse.
Funding for that position ended on June 30, disappointing many in the shire.
It was then restored for Shoalhaven patients, but not for those in the Eurobodalla.
Hardworking residents, such as Mrs Byrne and others, did not give up.
Not only did they bear the load of caring for their loved ones, they also found the extra energy to fight for change.
In September, Southern NSW Medicare Local CEO Kathryn Stonestreet said she would begin discussions with her Illawarra-Shoalhaven counterparts, in the hope that Eurobodalla patients would be able to see the nurse in Ulladulla.
They have gone one better and this week the fight has finally delivered a win.
Medicare Local announced funding had been secured for the region’s own neurological nurse.
In awarding the funds Ms Stonestreet praised local activists for their “unwavering lobbying efforts”.
It is due to their hard work and determination that the hundred or so people with Parkinson’s can now lead a better life in the Eurobodalla.