WHEREAS, Parkinson’s disease is a chronic and progressive disease that affects the nervous system and is the second most common neurodegenerative disease in the United States; and
WHEREAS, the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease can include: tremors, slowed movement, rigid muscles, impaired posture and balance, loss of automatic movements, writing changes, and speech changes; and
WHEREAS, approximately 2,500 Delawareans have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease; and
WHEREAS, approximately 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson’s each year; and
WHEREAS, there are more than 10 million people living with Parkinson’s throughout the world; and
WHEREAS, the cost of Parkinson’s is estimated to be nearly $52 billion each year in the United States; and
WHEREAS, the average cost per person each year can be $2,500 for medications and $100,000 for therapeutic surgery; and
WHEREAS, the Parkinson’s Foundation Prevalence Project estimates that nearly one million people in the U.S. are living with Parkinson’s disease (PD), which is more than the combined number of people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy and Lou Gehrig’s disease (or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis). This is expected to rise to 1.2 million by 2030; and
WHEREAS, the cause of Parkinson’s Disease is unknown and there is no current cure for the disease; and
WHEREAS, every April the Parkinson’s Foundation works to raise awareness about the disease; and
WHEREAS, the theme for the 2022 Parkinson’s Disease Awareness month is “#startaconversation”; and
WHEREAS, the purpose of the theme is a call to action that urges people to talk about Parkinson’s with their loved ones, friends, neighbors, care team and community.
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the 151st General Assembly of the State of Delaware, the House of Representatives concurring therein, that April 2022 is recognized as “Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Month” in the State of Delaware.
