Every day in Australia, more than one person every hour will hear life changing words from their doctor, that they have Parkinson’s Disease. This April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month and today, 11 April, marks World Parkinson’s Day. 

The disease presents for some as a tremor to the hand, but for others it could mean pain, fatigue and hallucinations that are invisible to the outside world. 

Parkinson’s Disease research non-for-profit Shake It Up Australia founder Clyde Campbell said the month is an opportunity for the wider public to gain awareness of the disease that is so often hidden. 



“It’s an opportunity to be able to reflect on treatments, but also on what opportunities we have going forward,” Mr Campbell said. 

The future, it seems, is an important aspect of the day. With 100,000 Australians affected and 38 people being diagnosed every day, the number is expected to double in 15 years without a medical breakthrough. 

So far, there is no cure, but treatments to manage the symptoms and enable people with Parkinson’s to live independent and productive lives are constantly being developed. 

In the 11 years since Shake It Up Australia was established, 63 research projects have been undertaken, with 22 million in funding going directly to the cause. 

“It’s a myriad of different factors that influence Parkinson’s Disease. We need to understand more about genetics to be able to better guide our scientists on what to target,” Mr Campbell said. 

“We’re getting closer, we’re getting drugs that are coming into what we call phase two and phase three trials, which is getting patients in and seeing what difference it makes to the progression of the disease. We’re not just treating the symptoms, we’re treating the underlying disease itself,” he said. 

While the day and month are important to raise awareness for those suffering, it also marks a crucial reminder that as the second most common neurodegenerative disorder in the world, early signs are ignored and the disease can go undiagnosed for years. 

“People can be diagnosed early, Micheal J. Fox was diagnosed at 29. It dramatically affects people’s careers, that early onset age,” Mr Campbell said. 

Early signs of Parkinson’s that can be passed off as ‘nothing to worry about’ include a change in handwriting, a loss of smell, and a lowering in the volume of your voice have all been identified as early signs of Parkinson’s Disease. 

“It’s a disease that’s got so many ways of affecting people, from the normal tremor to substantial sleep disorders, and depression is pretty bad in many cases of Parkinson’s.”

Mr Campbell asked the public to ‘pledge or participate’ through the Shake It Up Australia site, as a way of contributing towards better treatment and ultimately, a cure.