Ms Richelle Flanagan:

The outcomes can be life changing. A person who cannot walk or talk gets a small implant in their brain and it is like Power Rangers or something. You literally can turn yourself on or off. It is absolutely life changing for some people who get it, but not everybody has access to it. Unfortunately, there is no cure for Parkinson's and there are no drugs to slow progression. Coming back to the point of the multidisciplinary teams, it is very important to get access. We know that exercise therapy and dietary therapy have the potential to slow the progression of Parkinson's. They certainly help to improve the symptoms. In Holland, which is at the forefront of the multidisciplinary approach to care for people with Parkinson's, speech therapists have reduced inpatients presenting with dysphasia and chest infections, which are the biggest killer. Pneumonia is the biggest killer of people with Parkinson's.