Albertans suffering from Parkinson’s disease will soon have a world-class care facility to call home.
On Wednesday, Parkinson Alberta announced that a new care centre will be built in Edmonton by next year. It is being billed as the first of its kind in Canada, and a premier model for support, services and education for people affected by the disease.
The 9,000 square foot building, to be called The Buchanan Centre, will host a multitude of care activities designed specifically for those with Parkinson’s.
It will be the first time Parkinson Alberta will be able to house all of its care programs under one roof.
“This is huge,” said John Petryshen, CEO of Parkinson Alberta. “This gives us a real focal point in the community. It is going to be a real advantage to people living with Parkinson’s in our province. Our hope, and our goal, is to ensure that we have up to date information so we can educate people living with Parkinson’s.”
The project was made possible in large part by contributions from local benefactors Diane and Gordon Buchanan, who are coordinating the construction of the centre and establishing an endowment fund to cover the maintenance and operational costs. They are also hoping for $2 million in additional funding from the province and the City of Edmonton.
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Gordon Buchanan was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1999, and often dreamed of a care centre that could accommodate everything Parkinson’s patients needed under one roof.
His wife says the project will be their legacy to Albertans affected by Parkinson’s.
“From Gordon’s perspective, it is always better to put more into a community than you take out,” said Diane, who added the facility is not meant for research, but as a “living-better-with-Parkinson’s centre” aimed at maintaining patients’ quality of life.
For the past six years, Parkinson Alberta has hosted its care programs in various community facilities across the province.
“Some of them weren’t as welcoming as we would’ve liked them to be,” said Petryshen. “This is going to be a home for us, and it is going to be a home for people with Parkinson’s to be comfortable.”
It also means patients will not need to travel as often to get the care they need.
“When I first heard about the news I was really ecstatic,” said Helen Mak, a 50-year-old who has been suffering from Parkinson’s disease since 2000. “Finally, we have a sanctuary that we can actually go to and find information, and education. It is very difficult for us to get to places if our drugs are not working.”
“It is a miracle,” said Paulette Plouffe, another Parkinson’s patient who is experiencing the early stages of the disease. “I am beautifully inspired by this centre and the Buchanan family. It makes me hopeful that I will maintain the life that I’ve got, and not regress too quickly.”
“It is a bigger centre and we can interact with more people,” she said. “Because we help each other, we really do.”
The Buchanans are hoping that this project can become a model for similar centres across the country.
“Our dream is that every major city in Canada will have a facility like this for people who have Parkinson’s, or Huntington’s, or any mobility disorder where they can get some help,’ Diane said.
The state-of-the-art $5 million Buchanan Centre will be built near Commonwealth Stadium, and is scheduled to be completed by 2014.
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