Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive disorder that affects movement, muscle control and balance. Second only to Alzheimer's disease, PD is one of the most common neurodegenerative disorders in the United States (Lai & Tsui, 2001:135), affecting approximately one million people in the U.S. alone (Parkinson's disease Foundation [PDF], 2009). While the cause of Parkinson's disease remains unknown, there are certain known risk factors associated with the disease. One of the risk factors is increasing age. PD is most frequently associated with older adulthood, affecting one in 100 Americans 60 years and older (PDF). Over the next five decades, the incidence of PD is expected to triple, as the average age of the population increases (Lai & Tsui, 2001:135). Parkinson's disease is a chronic, progressive disorder, with no known cause or promising cure. While substantial information is known about the medical aspect of Parkinson's disease, little is known about the illness experience of living with the disease. The goal of this study was to explore and describe the experiences of people living with Parkinson's disease. The guiding research question was: What are the experiences of people living with Parkinson's disease? A qualitative research approach was followed, with a collective case study research design. The population for this study included people who are in the late stage of Parkinson's disease, thus being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease before 2012 and who are receiving support services from Parkinson's Association of South Africa (PASA). Non-probability purposive sampling was utilized to generate a sample. Ten participants who met the criteria were selected for this study. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with participants. Interviews were voice recorded with the permission of the participants and were transcribed. The data gathered were analysed by the researcher and themes and sub-themes were identified. The research findings were presented and critically discussed. Literature control and verbatim quotes were used to support the findings. The conclusions of this study reflected that the experiences of people living with Parkinson's disease are complex. Throughout the study it was found that Parkinson's disease impacts significantly on the physical, psychological and social well-being of people living with this disease in a number of ways. The recommendations offered by this study can be used by professionals working in the field of chronic, geriatric and neurodegenerative illnesses to understand the experiences of people living with Parkinson's disease. / Mini Dissertation (MSW)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Social Work and Criminology / MSW / Unrestricted

The worldwide ageing of the population, with an increase in associated chronic diseases, will inevitably escalate the demand for social work services at individual, group and community level. Alzheimer’s disease is one of the conditions associated with a population that is growing older. The disease was first described by Alois Alzheimer in 1906 and is characterised by progressive declines in cognitive and body functions, eventually resulting in death. It is estimated that 25 to 30 million people worldwide suffer from Alzheimer’s disease and that in 2050, 106.2 million people will be living with the disease, causing a looming global epidemic of Alzheimer’s disease (Brookmeyer, Johnson, Ziegler-Graham & Arrighi, 2007:186). At some stage in the disease’s process, most, if not all people with Alzheimer’s, require some form of care. This care is generally provided by informal (family) caregivers in the community. Providing care to an older person with Alzheimer’s disease present multiple challenges with many factors influencing the caregiving experience. When the needs of caregivers are not met, caregiver burden may result. For the many families living in rural and impoverished areas, this additional responsibility may come as an extraordinary burden and cause unwarranted stress. The goal of the study was to explore the needs and experiences of caregivers of persons with Alzheimer’s disease living in black rural communities in Mpumalanga. The guiding research question was: What are the needs and experiences of caregivers of persons with Alzheimer’s disease living in black rural communities in Mpumalanga? A qualitative research approach was followed with a collective case study research design. The population for this study was caregivers providing care to persons diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease living within the Ehlanzeni and Nkangala Rural Districts Municipalities of Mpumalanga. Non-probability purposive sampling was utilised to generate a sample. Eleven participants who were caregivers of persons with Alzheimer’s disease living in communities within the above-mentioned municipalities were selected. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with participants. Interviews were voice recorded with the permission of the participants, and were transcribed by a contracted transcriber. The data gathered were analysed by the researcher and themes and sub-themes were identified. The research findings were presented by providing a profile of research participants followed by a thematic analysis of the themes and sub-themes from the transcriptions. Literature control and verbatim quotes were used to support the findings. The themes include the following: Theme One – The Alzheimer’s disease caregiver; Theme Two – Indigenous issues with regards to Alzheimer’s disease; Theme Three – Caregivers’ understanding of Alzheimer’s disease; Theme Four – The impact of Alzheimer’s disease on the caregiver and Theme Five – Support services in the community. The conclusions of this study reflect that caregivers in black rural communities in Mpumalanga have a number of needs and challenges in providing care to a person with Alzheimer’s disease. Some of the challenges include the absence of caregiving training, stigmatisation due to indigenous beliefs, traditional healers’ diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, limited knowledge of caregivers about Alzheimer’s disease, adverse physical, social and psychological outcomes associated with caregiving, negative experiences with the public health care system, and the limited availability and accessibility of support services in the community. The recommendations offered by this study can be used by professionals working in the field of gerontology to understand the needs and experiences of Alzheimer’s caregivers. Social workers can use the recommendations to find ways to make their services known to the communities, and improve their intervention and support to these caregivers. / Dissertation (MSW)--University of Pretoria, 2015. / Social Work and Criminology / Unrestricted