Ms Mary Casserly:

I thank everybody for their comments. I would like make a point about days and time off work.

It is kind of tricky to know what the ideal number would be. I should point out that many people are afraid to tell their employers they have Parkinson's disease for fear or losing their jobs or not being treated equally. It is a big issue at times. How do people tell their employers? It is a risk some people are worried about taking. There may be stress in that and of maybe trying to hide the symptoms of Parkinson's disease, such as a tremor, making it even worse. They are the sorts of issues that arise.

As I said, I have given up work and I spend my time trying to do the things to keep as well as possible with Parkinson's. This includes exercise and alternative therapies. When I need to go to appointments in Dublin, my husband is self-employed and he can arrange to bring me. I am lucky like that because not everybody is in that position. This goes back to local services. People should be near the services they need and have access to a Parkinson's nurse and a neurologist. That is essential because how else can one make plans? It is great when we hear the Government is pledging money to the HSE but how is it going to be spent? We would not give €100 to a five-year-old child and a plan would be laid out on how it would be spent. It is great that today the committee is listening to us as patients and our voices in speaking about what we need. We really appreciate it and I thank the committee.