Dec 18, 2018
Receiving a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease, especially when it occurs at an early age, can be seen as disrupting an entire life plan. But it doesn’t have to. Soania Mathur, MD, CCFP, a family physician in Toronto, Canada, was diagnosed with young onset PD at age 27, just when she was starting her own medical career, as well as starting a family. She has developed some views on raising children when a parent or other family member has PD. In this second episode of our two-part Holiday Series: Families and Parkinson’s, she offers advice about how to talk to children about the disease, where to turn for resources, and even how having a parent, grandparent, or other relative with a chronic disease can have positive aspects for a child.