Number of Scots with Parkinson’s to double

● Charity warns health services must be ready

The number of Scots living with Parkinson’s is expected to double within the next 50 years as the population grows and ages.

New figures from Parkinson’s UK show that more than 12,000 Scots now have the illness. The charity has warned that the rising numbers of people with Parkinson’s will have significant impacts on already stretched health and social care services. Parkinson’s UK is calling on Scottish Government and service providers to ensure they are ready to meet the extra demands.

At present around 10-15 per cent of people with Parkinson’s in Scotland live in a care home, with around one in three having dementia as well.

Tanith Muller, parliamentary and campaigns manager at Parkinson’s UK in Scotland, said: “Parkinson’s is a complex condition that typically affects every area of a person’s life. It has a huge impact on individuals, their families, carers, the NHS and the social care system. As people live longer and the number of people living with the condition increases, getting Parkinson’s care and support right is essential.

“Around 1,500 people will be diagnosed with Parkinson’s in Scotland this year – that’s 30 people every week – and these numbers are set to increase.

“It’s vital that our health and care service providers act now to ensure that services are in place to meet people’s needs.”

Nearly 7,000 men in Scotland have Parkinson’s and more than 5,200 women, with 1,800 people aged under 65.

Dr Carl Counsell, honorary consultant neurologist at NHS Grampian and clinical reader at the University of Aberdeen, said: “My colleagues and I are studying what happens over time to people who were diagnosed with Parkinson’s in Aberdeen and the North-east.

“Parkinson’s has a profound impact on health and wellbeing, particularly for those diagnosed at older ages. People with Parkinson’s are three times more likely to experience a major fracture than people of the same age without the condition.

“There are increased complications with dementia too – people with Parkinson’s are six times more likely to develop dementia as people of the same age without the condition. Five years after being diagnosed, half needed some support with basic day-to-day activities and after a decade almost everyone did.

“People with Parkinson’s have a very high risk of hospital admission. More often than not, these admissions are unplanned and lead to longer stays in hospital.”