April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month! We should always remember our friends and loved ones who are suffering from PD, as well as their caregivers.

If you are not aware of how PD affects millions of people in the US, this month is a good time to learn about the disease. A few facts:

• Every year, 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with PD.
• There are 164 new diagnoses every day. That is six people per hour!
• Seven to 10 million people around the world live with PD.
• Incidence of PD increases as you age, but about 4% of people who have the disease are diagnosed before they are 50.
• Men are about 1.5 times more likely to get Parkinson’s disease than women.
• The combined direct and indirect costs of the disease – including treatment, social security payments, and lost income – is thought to be $25 billion in the US alone each year.
• Costs of medication for a person with PD average $2500 per year. Therapeutic surgery can cost $100,000 per patient.

How You Can Help

The National Parkinson Foundation is accepting donations to help fund research to find a cure for Parkinson’s. When you make a donation in any amount, you will receive a free, limited edition sticker. And, you will be helping more than one million people who are living with PD every day.

Products to Help PD Patients

At The Wright Stuff, we have a full line of affordable, helpful Parkinson’s products that can ease the burden of care for your loved one. For example, our Medication Reminders help to keep you and your loved one organized, so that she can get the medications she needs to help with her symptoms. It is especially important with PD patients that they stay on a strict medication schedule to keep symptoms of the disease in check. Helpful products include the Vibrating Alarm Medication Reminder, and the Weekly Pill Turtle Medication Organizer with Reminder Alarm.