Share:
Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2015 - 2016
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | April 1, 2016 01:46 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Lisa M. Boscola and Sen. Rob Teplitz |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | April as Parkinson's Disease Awareness Month |
| In the near future, we plan to re-introduce a resolution recognizing April 2016 as Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Month in Pennsylvania. Parkinson's Disease (PD) affects nearly 1 million people in the United States, with approximately 5-10% of those persons being under 50 years of age. It is the second most common neurodegenerative condition in the United States, second only to Alzheimer's disease. Problems with movement such as slowness, rigidity, tremor and changes in gait are common symptoms. Although treatments are initially effective in treating symptoms, 50-90% of patients develop motor complications. Parkinson's not only affects the person diagnosed, but also caregivers for Parkinson's disease patients. Caring for someone diagnosed with Parkinson's becomes increasingly complex and demanding as the severity of the disease progresses. Presently, there is no cure for Parkinson's disease, and its exact cause still remains unclear. While Parkinson's disease itself is not fatal, complications from the disease are serious; the Center for Disease Control (CDC) rated complications from PD as the 14th top cause of death in the United States. Continued efforts in research, testing and education are necessary in order to keep advancing toward the discovery of more effective treatments and, ultimately, a cure for this devastating disease. Researchers are increasingly focused on both detecting PD as early as possible and looking for ways to stop its progression. Therefore, it is important that we proclaim April 2016 as Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Month. You are invited to please join us in co-sponsoring this important resolution. |
Introduced as SR332