Dedicated to helping those with Parkinson's

We have three Parkinson's Nurse Specialists who operate in Fife and are based at the Queen Margaret Hospital, Dunfermline, the Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy and the St Andrews Community Hospital

Gillian Aldrich - Lead Specialist Parkinson’s Nurse Practitioner, Queen Margaret Hospital, Dunfermline.

Nicola Mercer - Specialist Parkinson’s Nurse, St Andrews Community Hospital

Kimberley Strachan – Specialist Parkinson’s Nurse, Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy

They work weekdays during office hours and can be contacted on tel. 01592 643355 ext. 28834

The Nurses advise that when you leave a message on their answerphone, they will aim to call you back in the next two working days. Please make sure that you leave your full name and telephone number so that they can contact you more easily.

If you feel that your calls are medically urgent then either seek the advice from your GP or call NHS 24 on 111. The PNS Team is not available out of hours.

Should you require non-medical advice relating to dealing with Parkinson`s, please phone the Parkinson`s UK helpline and speak to an advisor. 0808 800 0303.

The Role of the Parkinson's Nurse

Parkinson’s nurses are an essential element of care for people with Parkinson’s and their families.

For more than 20 years, Parkinson’s nurses have been at the heart of delivering improved services and cost savings. They have brought care closer to home, enabled joined-up provision and empowered people with Parkinson’s and their families to live with their condition.

Parkinson’s nurses work with consultants who specialise in Parkinson’s. These consultants are based in the care of the elderly, and neurology services.

The Parkinson’s nurse is a specialist practitioner with expert knowledge of Parkinson’s symptoms and treatment. Their experience of Parkinson’s is essential to providing person-centred care, enabling them to identify and respond quickly to changing symptoms. This reduces risks to individuals and families, and helps to prevent emergency admissions.

People with Parkinson’s and their families value their Parkinson’s nurse because she or he understands the condition. Parkinson’s nurses appreciate the complex – often hidden – ways that Parkinson’s affects people. This in-depth knowledge is key to the support that a Parkinson’s nurse is able to provide.

A Parkinson’s nurse also has the following essential skills:

• clinical leadership
• case management
• education
• evaluation of care

In their working lives, most general healthcare professionals only come across a small number of people with Parkinson’s.

A typical Scottish GP will see a new case of Parkinson’s less than once every three years.

Parkinson’s nurses play an important role in educating their colleagues about the condition and how it affects people, as well as reducing risks to people with the condition.

Parkinson’s nurses can provide education and training across Scotland, including programmes for GPs, ward staff, social care and care home workers, and nursing students.

The Parkinson’s nurse can provide education to people with Parkinson’s, their families and carers. This approach enables people to understand their condition and treatment. It facilitates shared decision-making and self-management. They are ideally placed to advise patients, both old and newly diagnosed about their local Parkinson’s groups and what they have to offer.

Parkinson`s local advisers have a wide range of knowledge and expertise about Parkinson`s.

They can help if you:

- have just been diagnosed and are looking for advice and information

- are looking for tips on how to deal with the day-to-day impact of Parkinson`s.

- need support with caring for a partner, friend or family member with Parkinson`s

- need emotional support

- want to find out more about the services available in your area

- want to learn about your rights and entitlements

- need help navigating the benefits process

- need information on where to find grants and financial help

- are looking for support on employment issues

- need support with anything else relating to your life with Parkinson`s

Our Local Adviser for Fife can be contacted on 0800 800 0303 or email [email protected].

They are available to give advice to individuals on a range of subjects and benefits.

The service is Scotland wide and any adviser can give you the help you need

Getting a diagnosis of Parkinson’s affects everyone differently.

Some people go through a range of emotions, from feeling overwhelmed to feeling relieved.

Fife Parkinson's can help you come to terms with your diagnosis and help you to "get on and live with it!" After all we've all been there, so you are not alone

https://www.parkinsons.org.uk/information-and-support/newly-diagnosed-parkinsons

Circle of Comfort is a registered Scottish charity that offers complementary therapies to people in Fife who have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and other chronic conditions.

Clients are given the choice of massage or reflexology treatments, in their own home, by fully qualified therapists who are extremely knowledgeable about the condition of the person they are treating.

Fife Branch have provided the funding to offer this service to you. The only criteria is that you have Parkinson’s Disease. The scheme is for 4 sessions which last about 1.5 hours.

Recipients will be considered on a first come, first served basis and if numbers exceed budget, you will be placed on a waiting list, until more funds become available.

If you would like to learn more about Circle of Comfort please visit : https://circleofcomfort.org.uk

The NHS Fife Speech and Language Therapy Adult Service works with adults and adults with learning disabilities (ALD).

Fife SLT supports the prevention, treatment and self-management of adult communication and swallow difficulties in Fife. We all know someone who has experienced difficulties communicating. You might have asked “What can I do? How can I support this person?”

The speech and language therapy team supports people with communication and swallowing difficulties to learn new skills and build confidence to live life as well as they can.

Fife SLT also supports the family, friends, carers, and wider community – people like you – to better understand these challenges and how to develop your own skills and knowledge.

What you will find on their Facebook page – high quality information, advice, links to top resources, updates about their service and the opportunity to share your experiences with others.