More than 10 million people worldwide are living with Parkinson’s disease.1 A diagnosis of this incurable disease is as disorienting as it is devastating. Purdue University Press has recently published two new books that will serve as essential resources for patients, their loved ones, and caregivers to help make sense of what comes next after such a diagnosis. The Complete Guide for People With Parkinson’s Disease and Their Loved Ones and Everything You Need to Know About Caregiving for Parkinson’s Disease by Lianna Marie are now available in print and e-book formats from all major retailers.
A trained nurse, Lianna Marie served as her mother’s caregiver and advocate for over twenty years through the many stages of Parkinson’s disease. Through and because of this experience, she founded AllAboutParkinsons.com, an online community that has connected and helped thousands of people with the disease, their families, and their caregivers.
“My greatest motivation for writing these books was a conversation I had with my mom in her fifteenth year of living with Parkinson’s.” Marie said in a recent interview with the Press. “She told me back then she wished there was more information available to help her understand and deal with her disease as it was progressing, written in a way that she could understand.”
The Complete Guide for People With Parkinson’s Disease and Their Loved Ones will serve as the go-to book for comprehensive, easy-to-understand information for those affected by Parkinson’s disease. Providing useful tips and advice, the book aims to help patients better understand their role in their treatment so that they may continue to lead happy and hopeful lives.
Everything You Need to Know About Caregiving for Parkinson’s Disease concentrates on those providing care for Parkinson’s patients. The job of caregiving comes with many challenges, and often caregivers will neglect their own health and well-being in the process. This book was inspired by the author’s own journey, using real-life experience to provide caregivers the resources they need to care for themselves and their loved ones.
“The caregiving book resulted from many years of witnessing the toll caring for someone with Parkinson’s can have on a person if they don’t have the right help and tools.” said Marie. “My ultimate goal is to help caregivers feel less alone and give them hope that they can make it through this often-challenging Parkinson’s journey with their loved one.”
The author, a native of Toronto, Canada and now living outside of Seattle, Washington, draws upon over twenty years of education, research, and direct experience to provide advice ranging from nutrition and exercise to alternative and complementary therapies, dissecting hard-to-understand medical information and presenting it in a clear and convenient manner. Both books will prove to be essential resources for those on their Parkinson’s journeys.
Receive 30% off The Complete Guide for People With Parkinson’s Disease and Their Loved Ones and Everything You Need to Know About Caregiving for Parkinson’s Disease by ordering directly from Purdue University Press and entering the code PURDUE30 at checkout.
Writer: Matthew Mudd, marketing and outreach specialist, Purdue University Press, mmudd5@purdue.edu
Source: Lianna Marie, founder of AllAboutParkinsons.com and author.
Citation: 1 Statistic from Parkinson’s Foundation: https://www.parkinson.org/Understanding-Parkinsons/Statistics