BERLIN, June 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --
EPDA and Zambon presented, at the EAN Congress, the "1HourMore" project: emotional and practical support for Parkinson's disease patients and caregivers
What would you do if you had one hour more a day? This is quite a simple question, which expresses the real value of TIME for people with Parkinson's Disease.
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With the aim of raising public attention about Parkinson's disease at an international level, providing PD people with emotional and practical support, the European Parkinson's Disease Association (EPDA), in partnership with Zambon, an international pharmaceutical company strongly committed to the Central Nervous System (CNS) therapeutic area, has launched the storytelling project "1HourMore", during the 1st Congress of the European Academy of Neurology in Berlin.
The heart of the project is a book of 24 real-life stories of hope and reaction, written by a team of professional authors that conducted in depth interviews across Italy, Germany, Spain, UK, France and Switzerland. An additional value for patients and carers is represented by 24 useful tips suggested by the people who told their stories, in order to help other Parkinson's Disease patients in their daily life.
To support the project, a dedicated digital storytelling platform, http://www.1hourmore.eu, has been developed and is available in four different languages. In this area, the public can both read interesting stories on the value of time and submit their own, answering the key question: "What would you do if you had one hour more a day?"
This project helps patients and caregivers on the psychological side, in all the different phases they need to face: from the diagnosis of the disease, to the acceptance of the symptoms and the management of all the delicate aspects related to the disease.
Parkinson's Disease is the second most common chronic progressive neurodegenerative disorder in the elderly after Alzheimer's disease and the number of patients is expected to double by 2030. It affects 1 in 500 people, not only the elderly but young people as well. Motor symptoms and motor complications impact heavily on the quality of life of PD patients and their families, as well as on healthcare professionals, that can't provide effective solutions to reduce the impact of PD.
"Ongoing efforts are necessary to extend awareness of PD in Europe. Parkinson's disease has a tremendous social burden which will increase even more in the years to come. We need to act now, in order to limit the impact on people with Parkinson's, their families, carers, and society as a whole," said Knut-Johan Onarheim, President of EPDA. The "1 hour more" project, sponsored by Zambon, aims at increasing awareness, taking a lead in the fight against Parkinson's disease and providing support to patients so that they can find answers to their unmet needs. EPDA has a long story in supporting patients with PD in Europe. Our evidence is clear: people with PD do not receive optimal and timely access to appropriate diagnosis, treatment and care, and they don't receive the standards of care that disease specialists recognize as being best practice."
Elena Zambon, President of Zambon commented: "Zambon is an Italian family company with a 109 year history in taking care of people's health. We strongly believe that today we have to offer new therapeutic approaches to treat diseases, being committed in supporting patients and caregivers to improve their quality of life. This project is about connecting people, creating a real community, sharing experiences and avoiding them to feel alone. We are proud to be working together with EPDA in achieving this goal."
The 1 hour more book, published by Bookrepublic, is for free and available on some eBook platforms i.e. Amazon, IBS and Bookrepublic.
About EPDA
The European Parkinson's Disease Association (EPDA) is the only European Parkinson's disease umbrella organisation. Founded in 1992, EPDA is a non-profit organisation advocating for the rights and needs of those living with Parkinson's and their caregivers. For more information please visit http://www.epda.eu.com/en
About Zambon
Zambon is a leading Italian pharmaceutical and fine-chemical multinational company that has earned a strong reputation over the years for high quality products and services. The Group is strongly working on the treatment of the chronic respiratory diseases as asthma and COPD and on the CNS therapeutic area with Xadago® (safinamide), licensed by Newron, for the Parkinson treatment. Zambon is also well-established in 3 therapeutic areas: respiratory, pain and women's care, and is very strongly committed to its entry into the CNS space. Established in 1906 in Vicenza, Zambon has branches in 15 countries and more than 2,600 employees with manufacturing units in Italy, Switzerland, France, China and Brazil. Zambon products are commercialized in 73 countries.
For details on Zambon please see: http://www.zambongroup.com
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