YOPSSA Young Onset Parkinson’s Support South Australia is a support group for those of a younger age who have Parkinson’s Disease (PD). We are affiliated to the Parkinson’s Association of South Australia. Note that this group is different from Young People with Parkinson’s (see the Young People with Parkinson’s website in the Parkinson’s Links list).

It is estimated that there are over 6,000 South Australians with PD. About one in seven of these are under the age of fifty-five. Many of these people continue in the workforce. Some are forced to abandon their working lives early. All face the challenges of dealing with PD at a time in their lives when family and financial affairs are most demanding. To add to this burden, people who experience the onset of PD early in life are likely to suffer chronically for a much longer period of time than those who get it later in life.

If young onset patients are to retain substantial quality of life they have to become knowledgeable in the management of their disease. It is insufficient to rely on health professionals with whom contact is infrequent and fleeting. GPs are often not fully aware of the impact of PD in young patients. Many newly diagnosed young patients show few, if any, symptoms under drug therapy.

Carefully selected modern treatments for PD mean that a person can continue to work and have a good quality of life for many years after diagnosis. But management of PD is not only about medical treatment. Life may be at its most stressful as you approach the fourth decade and young patients often need a friend with whom they can talk about their problems and worries. Sometimes it is difficult for the partner or carer to understand, so he/she can also benefit from talking to others in a similar situation.

YOPSSA is a friendly, caring and non-threatening forum which provides that contact. Many newly diagnosed people are unwilling to seek support. They feel perhaps, that they do not yet need it, or seeking help may be an admission of something they’d rather not think about. Perhaps they are just worried about what they’ll see when they turn up for a meeting. But as group members will testify, the benefit that they experience from meeting others like themselves, far outweighs their misgivings.

YOPSSA Aims and Objectives To create a caring, supportive forum in which Young Onset Parkinsons sufferers can:

• Share information
• communicate with each other through social interaction such as regular meetings, phone calls and email
• meet and form friendships with people of similar interests
• to pursue recognition from Government, Welfare agencies and employers, of the difficulties faced by sufferers
• to promote a greater community understanding of Parkinson’s Disease;
• to encourage professionals to be aware of the individual’s needs;
  
• to provide the knowledge and encouragement which will allow Young Onset Parkinson sufferers to manage their condition and achieve the best possible quality of life as they advance in years.