The Government is investing $36.8 million in Parkinson’s medical research and in Parkinson’s nurses to improve the life of people living with the disease and ultimately to find a cure, the Federal Member for Page Kevin Hogan said.
“Parkinson’s disease is recognised as the second most common neurodegenerative disorder in Australia,” he said.
“More than 100,000 Australians endure its progressive and debilitating symptoms – and without a medical breakthrough, this number is expected to double in 15 years.
“We are providing $30 million over five years to the Garvan Institute’s Australian Parkinson’s Mission to trial promising drugs to reduce the progression of the disease and allow people in our community to live in their homes longer.”
Up to 1000 Australians from Victoria, NSW and Queensland living with Parkinson’s will test the effectiveness of four repurposed drugs, revolutionising our understanding of Parkinson’s, identifying new treatment targets and discovering new drugs.
A further $6.8 million over four years will be provided to Primary Health Networks to improve access to specialised nursing care in the community for people living with movement disorders, including Parkinson’s disease.
Mr Hogan said nurses play a critical role in preventing and managing chronic disease and in improving timely access to health care for Australian communities.
“The specialist nurses would fulfil a range of roles including providing clinical care to patients, coordinating timely access to community based care to manage acute and chronic health problems and delivery of education and information, he said.
The Australian Parkinson’s Mission is an international research collaboration between the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Shake it Up Australia Foundation, The Cure Parkinson’s Trust, Michael J Fox Foundation and Parkinson’s Australia.
