Audio Interview with Valmai Hankel

Click here to access the audio tape which lasts for about 20 minutes. It may take 30-60 seconds to load

Valmai Hankel is a South Australian wine writer, horse breeder, intrepid outback traveller and President of the Friends of the State Library.  She previously worked at the State Library for 43 years, developing the rare book collection. She is also a regular presenter on ABC 891 Radio. In 2009 she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.  In this interview about Valmai’s personal journey with Parkinson’s she talks candidly to long time friend, Liz Burge, who is currently Professor of Adult Education at the University of New Brunswick in Canada.  The audio tape has been provided courtesy of the State Library of SA and it was edited by Nick de Rohan.

2012 Calendar

Please check this site on a regular basis as the Calendar will be regularly updated as further dates are available.  Here is link to the 2012 Calendar

Welcome to Parkinson’s SA Inc

In 1815 James Parkinson described the tremors, stiffness in the muscles and slowness of movement evident in what he termed the “shaking palsy” so accurately that his description is still used today.

Find out more about Parkinson’s Disease in South Australia by using the links in the navigation menu.

Application for Membership

Application for Membership 2011-2012

2011 Report on Parkinson’s Disease in Australia

A Report, by Deloitte Access Economics titled: “Living with Parkinson’s Disease”  about Parkinson’s Disease in Australia in 2011 has just been released.  One in 350 Australians now have Australia’s second most common neurological disease, Parkinson’s Disease.

Key findings include:

• That 30 more people are diagnosed with Parkinson’s each day;
• It is a mysterious condition, the cause of which no-one’s really got a clue about,
• Parkinson’s is growing in numbers (by 17% over the last six years); and costs have grown by over 48%.
• the estimated burden of the disease for 2011-12 is valued at $7.6 billion
• 20% of PD sufferers are of working age.
• the average person lives for about 12 years from diagnosis (although it can be a lot longer);
• Parkinson’s is commoner than prostate, bowel and many other cancers;
• it costs people with Parkinson’s about $12,000 a year out of their own pockets;
• every year nearly 50,000 years of healthy life are lost to the condition;

Global Parkinson’s Pledge

The Global Parkinson’s Pledge was launched at the second World Parkinson’s Congress in Glasgow, Scotland on 27 September 2010. Its aim is to help build a global Parkinson’s movement to make Parkinson’s a priority health, social and economic issue around the world and to advance the cure.
Sign the pledge at: www.worldpdcongress.org and join the Parkinson’s world wide community.
We aim to have one million signatures by the next WPC in Montreal, Canada in 2013.

Australia’s Unity Walk for Parkinson’s 2012

Australia’s Unity Walk for Parkinson’s in South Australia will be held on Sunday September 23, 2012 around the Torrens Riverbank.

Music, roving entertainment, second hand book stall, sausage sizzle, raffles and face painting for children all added to the fun. Family groups can walk with many people wearing an honour card to acknowledge someone special in their lives with Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s SA Patron, the Governor, and Mrs Scarce will participate in this event.

To see photos of the 2011 Unity Walk taken by darrenclementsphotography.com.au please visit:  http://flic.kr/s/aHsjwzmjo

Please also visit and connect to our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/#!/parkinsons.sa