My name is Ginette Emond, I live in Repentigny with Jean-Pierre, my partner for almost 30 years. We are both retired.
Jean-Pierre was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease 6 years ago, but I started to think of myself as a caregiver about 2 years ago. The daily changes are more marked in terms of responsibility towards Jean-Pierre, although he is still very functional. I try to lighten his daily life as much as possible, I maybe watch him a little too much! I do this so that he has more energy for his daily life, if we have activities… I live this role of caregiver positively, when you love someone it is easier. Being retired it also helps, and our daily life is quite easy to manage now.
I feel like we don’t know enough about Parkinson’s disease; even if our participation to the Parkinson Quebec conferences and research on the website really helped us to develop knowledge about the disease. Regarding the medication, I would like to know what is available, to anticipate when the ones Jean-Pierre is taking will no longer suffice, that would really reassure me. We are currently on standby to see a new neurologist, and although our family doctor is available, we would need to be able to see a specialist more regularly in order to know how the disease is progressing.
I think that the way each caregiver feels is different depending on their personality and temperament: I am quite a joyful person, I like to have fun in life. With Jean-Pierre, we laugh a lot so that makes everyday life easier. My advice to caregivers is to take life on the bright side, and live this diagnosis as lightly as possible.
