How do you know when to help?

Family and friends are often in a quandary when to offer me help. No one wants to make me feel helpless and yet they also don’t want to leave me struggling and frustrated when I do need assistance. It’s a fine line to tread, knowing when to step in or when to hold back, and I appreciate the predicament. Being at family for dinner, I was eyeing the roast potatoes which looked crispy and delicious, but I refrained from taking any, as I could see they were going to prove very difficult to cut and would possibly end up ricocheting off the walls, awkwardly landing in someone’s lap! Finally my husband who is finely tuned in to my needs and feelings, without a word or any fuss, took a potato and cut it up on my plate. As my family and friends become more aware of Parkinson’s they are able to understand the limitations, the symptoms and how and when to offer help. Everyone has heard of Parkinson’s – a common disease affecting millions across the world, but many don’t know or understand the complex symptoms, sides effects of medications and what it is like to live 24/7 with a degenerative disease that accompanies one like a shadow. This is why I have taken on public speaking engagements, despite my poor condition; I feel strongly that if I can bring greater awareness, my suffering will not have been in vain. For no one can speak better about this subject, than a person who is battling daily with Parkinson’s.