The healthcare system worldwide is currently struggling to cope with neurological diseases. Parkinson's leads the way in the soaring number of persons who are diagnosed with such conditions, even at the young age of 30, 40, and 50. In Malta and Gozo this illness is increasing steadily at a rate of 1% per month and World Health statistics demonstrate very high rankings for Malta for death rates per 100,000 people living with Parkinson’s in 183 countries. The deployment of specialised nurses, physiotherapists, psychologists, speech therapists, dieticians, and occupational therapists at a Parkinson's Centre will undoubtedly see a significant drop in loss of balance, resulting in less hip fractures caused by falls due to postural instability and the avoidance of possible fatal consequences. A Centre with Specialised Care will also benefit people living with Parkinson’s not having to be institutionalised (care home). Moreover, having specialised nurses (currently we have none) can aid with home care and therefore this too can prolong home care instead of care homes. Step Up For Parkinson’s mission is in line with the 'National Health Systems Strategy 2023-2030 Document - Investing Successfully for a Healthy Future' published in December 2022, which highlights the importance to population health and wellbeing, and the individual patient care experience through better standards and better quality of healthcare. The national strategic document states that "health services in Malta need to be more responsive and flexible to meet the needs of the population and the individual patient." It also speaks about "providing personalised care based on the latest evidence". This is precisely the basis of our mission, backed by scientific evidence provided by our mentors ParkinsonNet in the Netherlands. The strategic document also highlights the importance of the much needed culture change for healthcare in our country "to move away from a one-size-fits-all approach to a more tailored support structure for individual-centric methods." It also reaffirms that "efforts will be undertaken to implement the concept of 'One-Stop-Shop' services to avoid repeat visits to different clinics within a short span of time." Step Up For Parkinson's has no Government funding, so we seek support from the Community. For the past year we have committed ourselves to spread further awareness through education for people to move away from the stigma that we have to cope with due to misconceptions about Parkinson’s sufferers. Step Up For Parkinson's is in urgent need of a Parkinson’s Centre to raise hope for around 2,000 people suffering from Parkinson’s Disease in Malta and Gozo by providing them specialised care for them to cope with so many daily physical and emotional challenges. This is an ACT OF JUSTICE.
