Confronting discrimination. In Nicaragua, a patient was locked up by their family in a shed in the backyard of the house.
By Guillermo Cortes Dominguez (Confidencial)
HAVANA TIMES – Today, April 11, we commemorate World Parkinson’s Day, a significant day to reflect on the challenges that Parkinson’s patients face daily. On this special occasion, it is essential to address the negative stereotypes surrounding those of us who live with Parkinson’s and unite in the fight to combat them.
It seemed outrageous to me that in Nicaragua a family would confine a Parkinson’s patient in a shed in the backyard of the house, and that they would pass food to them under the door, as if the sick person were a pariah, or a carrier of a virulent contagious disease that endangers all their family members.
Lack of understanding about Parkinson’s disease leads to stigma, generating significant problems for affected individuals and their families, who risk socially isolating themselves. Combating this stigma involves demystifying the erroneous image surrounding it, challenging the prejudices and stereotypes ingrained in our society.
In advanced stages of the disease, patients tend to gradually disengage from their social environment, ceasing to participate in common activities and becoming invisible to society. This invisibility leads to a lack of awareness of the enormous difficulties they face daily, both themselves and their caregivers.
In a recent meeting in Managua with Parkinson’s patients, a woman in her 50s said she didn’t feel comfortable speaking in public because she had social phobia caused by negative behaviors towards her from people who didn’t understand her illness. For some reason, she decided to fight, and in this meeting, she had three participations that will surely help her overcome the fear of speaking to a group of people.
It is time to debunk these myths that only perpetuate th
