The Psychosocial and Economic Impact of Parkinson’s disease On People Infected and Affected by the Disease
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Date
2014-06-23
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Parkinson‘s Disease (PD) is one of the life threatening diseases that impede the health condition of people around the world. The disease does not discriminate color, age and sex. According to various studies males are most likely exposed by PD than females. The prevalence rate in Ethiopia is unknown where as many studies conducted worldwide affirmed that one in five hundred people are infected by PD regardless of their age. The exact cause of PD is unknown but the loss of dopamine in the brain is the primary contributing factor for a person to experience Parkinson‘s Disease. Many studies agree that being at the age of sixty and living in toxic environment are the contributing factors for PD. The disease is characterized by tremors, slow voice, wriggling movement, communication difficulties. PD patients are suffering with multifaceted challenges. This study ‗the psychosocial and economic impact of Parkinson‘s on people infected and affected by the disease‘‘ is the first of its kind in the field of social work as well for the social science. The author relied on qualitative study with exploratory nature and Addis Ababa is the center of this study that engaged dwellers from ten sub-cities. This study involved eighteen adults living with PD, four careers and three Neurologists. The modus of operandi applied to collect the data are Key Informant Interviews (KII) and Focus Group Discussions (FGD) and case studies. The finding of this study indicated that PD has brought multilayered psycho-social and economic impact on patients, family members as well as their close relatives. It was observed that the majority of the patients living with PD either experiencing early retirement, self-stigmatization, introvert behaviors, subjective experience of time, lonesomeness, depression, social anxiety and etc., divorce, frequent quarrel with family members, refrain oneself from social gathering, unable to deliver the social and communal commitments, wrong interpretation of PD, unable to make love and give birth are some of the daily challenges of the people with PD. The author also found out that PD information among family members, careers and the community members are still at infant stage; the public and private Medias are silent about the subject
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PD/Psychosocial economic impact Addis Ababa