Key documents
Click on the image below to download a copy of the manifesto.
Available in the following languages:
Czech
Dutch
English
French
German
Italian
Portuguese
Slovenian
Spanish
Ukrainian
Click here for a copy of the press release.
What is the manifesto and why is it important?
Parkinson's is the fastest-growing neurological condition in the world. With this in mind, Parkinson’s Europe is committed to ensuring that people with Parkinson's and their families have access to the highest standards of treatment, support and care they need to live a full and comfortable life.
To commemorate our 30th anniversary in 2022, we have worked with the Parkinson’s community to develop a manifesto that aims to shine a light on what is important to people living with Parkinson’s and ensuring that their voices are heard and listened to.
We set out to gather the hopes, dreams and ambitions of the Parkinson’s community and create a declaration that reflects these key wishes, building on the important work already done by our members and other Parkinson’s organisations. We hope that this ‘’wish list’ will help shape the Parkinson’s agenda in Europe over the next 30 years, guiding those working in health, research, and policy on what truly matters to those living with Parkinson’s.
Listen below to what Professor Bastiaan Bloem has to say about the Parkinson's Manifesto for Europe.
The key areas and wishes of the manifesto
The manifesto is made up of 30 wishes that sit under the following 5 key areas:
- Increase awareness and understanding of Parkinson’s – click here to view an introduction to this area by Danish person with Parkinson’s, Elisabeth Ildal
- Educate and train all health professionals about Parkinson’s – click here to view an introduction by Irish Parkinson’s advanced nurse specialist, Brian Magennis
- Improve diagnosis, treatment and complex care needs for people with Parkinson’s – click here for an introduction by Danny Lavender
- Improve the wellbeing and quality of life for people with Parkinson’s and caregivers – click here for an introduction by Greek family member, Alexandra Karadimou
- Strengthen and drive Parkinson’s research and innovation – click here for an introduction by Spanish person with Parkinson’s, Jannie Styijbos de Krey.
Click here for the full list of key areas and wishes.
Our engagement process
In developing the manifesto, Parkinson’s Europe collected the views of people with Parkinson’s, caregivers, partners, family members and healthcare professionals from across Europe.
Our first step was to review findings from recent campaigns and surveys such as the Caregivers Survey, the European Inventory and the Parkinson's Europe Political manifesto.
This intelligence helped us develop a survey to collect views and insights from the European Parkinson’s community. The survey was translated and made available in nine languages. In March 2022 it was disseminated across Europe via Parkinson’s Europe’s social media platforms and networks, including our member organisations, friends, partners and individuals as well as numerous other Parkinson’s groups and blogs.
We received an overwhelming response with more than 900 people completing the survey from 39 different countries.
The results of the survey were used to frame a series of workshops in May and July 2022 to identify the manifesto’s key themes and wishes. More than 30 participants (people living with Parkinson’s, caregivers, family members and healthcare professionals) took part in 4 workshops.
The manifesto was launched on 20 October 2022 and is currently available in nine languages (Czech, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Slovenian, Spanish) with other translations planned.
Watch below a recording of the webinar that launched the manifesto.
Parkinson’s Europe would like to thank everyone who helped to support, develop and share the manifesto.
Next steps and opportunities to get involved
The aim of this manifesto is to help shape the Parkinson’s agenda in Europe, guiding those working in health, research and policy on what truly matters to the Parkinson’s community. Rather than being a list of actions for any specific organisation (including Parkinson’s Europe), the manifesto presents key wishes designed to inspire collaborations and activities for all Parkinson’s organisations, groups and individuals across Europe.
Communicating the hopes and ambitions of the Parkinson’s community via the manifesto is the first step in our goal to improve the lives of people living with Parkinson’s. In order to move from these wishes to a list of potential collaborative actions, Parkinson’s Europe’s next steps will be to identify the gaps, challenges and areas of good practice relating to each of the key areas outlined in this manifesto.
If you would like to contribute to this work, please tell us what is happening in your country. Complete this short survey to help us map out the challenges and good practices that are currently impacting Parkinson’s treatment, support and care across Europe.
To contact us, please email info@parkinsonseurope.org.
To receive updates on the manifesto and other campaigns, please join the Parkinson’s Europe mailing list.
