00:00Parkinson's is a disease that with its diagnosis often brings a lot of misconceptions,
00:05making it difficult to get treatments that go beyond just physical needs. But at the University
00:10of Kent in the Parkinson's Centre for Integrated Therapy, which has been open for just two years,
00:14they've been working and researching to change this, so much so that they've already gained
00:19global recognition for their work. The current support and provision for people with Parkinson's
00:24isn't really enough. People need ongoing support, not just therapies but wellbeing activities,
00:31access to social community, social opportunities to lead the richest, fullest life you can with
00:38Parkinson's. It's a cheap but really effective solution and we really think that actually
00:43looking after people with Parkinson's in this way is the way to look after people with all sorts of
00:47long-term neurological conditions, not just Parkinson's. This place now is much more than
00:52a research hub, it's not a research hub, it's a hub for therapy and wellbeing and hope.
00:58The singing really helps with maintaining the voice strong and being able to project the voice.
01:05Obviously dance is really good for that as well because it works on posture and that really helps
01:10with having a strong voice too. So I think it helps a lot with confidence and also helping people
01:18to feel more relaxed. This is just one of the facilities that they have,
01:22but they also have things like singing, dancing, a cosy room, a sleep clinic, a gym,
01:27but one of the main things that people enjoy here is the sense of community.
01:31You know one of the things was that you felt quite alone even though I've got family and that.
01:37I didn't know anyone else who got Parkinson's but one of the best things about this place is
01:42it's the social aspect of it. Everyone's very supportive. I'd probably be sitting at home,
01:50watching television, reading a book, thinking what am I going to do with the rest of my time
01:56kind of thing. Whereas this, as well as all the therapies and everything around here,
02:04it gives me a purpose. By providing community in what can be a lonely disease,
02:09members here get the chance to not only raise their voices but raise their confidence.
02:13Kristen Hawthorne for KMTV, Canterbury.
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