The Ulti-mate support group

BY BRENDAN WONG

In Australia, it is estimated that around 80,000 people suffer from Parkinson’s disease, with most being diagnosed between the age of 50 or 60 years.
Ultimo local Gerald Ganglbauer was diagnosed with the condition two years ago, at age 47, and has changed his life dramatically.
‘You don’t believe it at first because you think it’s something old people have, and you know very little or nothing about it,’ he said. ‘It creeps up on you, you cannot stop it, and there is no cure, you’re told. And it shows in different ways for different people.’
Last month, Mr Ganglbauer joined forces with Chris Davis, the Sustainability Business Development Manager for the University of Technology, to launch an Ultimo-based Parkinson’s NSW support group.
The aim of the non-profit group is to raise the profile of Parkinson’s disease and support people with Parkinson’s disease (PWP).
Parkinson’s NSW has a range of support group meetings ranging from group discussions, to educational sessions by guest speakers, social outings and having coffee.
‘Although our support group is already the 55th in NSW, it is the first group (except for Chinese speaking PWP who have had a group in Chinatown for some years) in the City of Sydney,’ Mr Ganglbauer said.
‘Other metropolitan support groups are located in the suburbs, but they are a long way out and hard to reach for Inner City PWP with limited mobility,’ he said.
The Ultimo support group is also the first branch of Parkinson’s NSW with their own website (www.gangart.com/usg) where people can sign up to their mailing list and be kept updated on news affecting them.
Parkinson’s NSW will hold their next meeting in Ultimo on August 7.