Kia ora koutou, Talofa lava, Kia orana, Malo e lelei, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Bula vinaka, Malo ni, Mauri and warm Pacific greetings
Our study will explore the experiences and health journey of Māori and Pacific peoples living with Parkinson's.
We would like this research to inform how as Physiotherapists and other health professionals we can best serve our communities to support and care for Māori, and our Pacific peoples with Parkinsons and their whanau.
We would like to acknowledge the support of the MJ Fox Foundation to fund this research, and to acknowledge their ongoing work to better support the lives of people with Parkinsons.
Introducing ourselves
Study lead: Professor Leigh Hale
My name is Leigh and i am originally from South Africa. I moved to Aotearoa over 20 years ago with my husband and daughters. I began my working life as a Physiotherapist and moved in to research in later years. My research work always tries to better support people living with long term conditions and in particular people living with neurological conditions like Parkinsons and Stroke.
I work closely on this project with Katrina Bryant and Charleen Silcock. We are also joined by researchers Sydney Hynes and Megan Lupe, who will be in contact if you are interested to know more about the study.
I really appreciate you taking the time to think about sharing the experiences and impact that Parkinsons has had on your life and that of your whanau.
About the study
We have a summary of the study below, and also have dedicated pages for our Māori with Parkinsons and their whanau and for our Pacific people with Parkinsons and their family.
Specifically the study aim is to investigate the experiences and impact of Parkinson's symptoms associated with mobility and fall risk in Māori living with Parkinson's disease. This information will help us inform delivery of services for Māori and Pacific people living with Parkinson's and their whānau.
We are seeking people who identify as Māori and Pacific people living with Parkinson's as well as those living without Parkinson's, aged 18 years plus, and their whānau.
We will require approximately 1-3 hours of your time to answer some questions (one hour), undertake an interview (one hour) and perform some balance and walking tests (one hour). For some people, we may meet with you twice, 12 months apart. You can choose which parts of the interviews and/tests you want to participate in. These interviews and/or tests can take place either at our study location or at your home.
We can provide $40 grocery vouchers to assist in reimbursing travel costs for each assessment session (initial and at 12 months).
This study has been approved by the University of Otago Human Ethics Committee (Health).
For information or to chat about the study
If you have any questions or would like to chat about the study please contact Leigh leigh.hale@otago.ac.nz