A new wellness facility for people living with Parkinson’s disease is slated to open in Edmonton next summer, and it will be the first of its kind in Canada.
The Buchanan Centre, named after its benefactors Diane and Gordon Buchanan, is to be a $5-million facility that will provide educational and informational support to patients and their families.
“Thousands of Albertans are coping with Parkinson’s disease. There is no cure, but there is hope,” said Diane Buchanan. Her husband Gordon was diagnosed in 1999.
“It is not a research facility, it is not a medical centre; it is a living-better-with-Parkinson’s centre,” she added.
The centre will offer a different array of services for Parkinson’s patients compared to movement disorder clinics in Edmonton and Calgary. The facility is designed to increase patient access to physical, speech and occupational therapists, counselling, as well as recreational activities such as dance, music and cooking classes.
The 9,000-square-foot space will be located on 86 Street and 112 Avenue in Edmonton.
The centre will also feature respite services and family support, something that’s needed, said Daniel Graham, a St. Albert resident living with the neurodegenerative disorder.
“A lot of it is of course coping with the disease. I’m still having difficulties accepting it,” the 72-year-old said.
Before his retirement in 1994, Graham was a fighter pilot for 35 years and a commander at the Canadian Forces Base in Penhold. The most frustrating part of living with Parkinson’s, he said, is his cognitive decline.
“Obviously I had good organization abilities, was able to do tasks quickly and professionally … (now) I even have trouble doing the simplest things.”
Graham relies heavily on his wife to accomplish everyday tasks. Seizures have taken away his ability to drive and waking up 15 to 20 times per night has left him constantly sleep deprived.
“She’s an angel, being able to cope with me because I do get grumpy and short tempered at times,” he said. “I’m very lucky to have her and I don’t know what I would do without her.”
Graham and his wife attend monthly support meetings run by Parkinson Alberta, the society that has partnered with the Buchanan Family Foundation to open the centre.
“The Buchanan Centre will help alleviate stress on the overall health-care system by providing specialized resources in the Edmonton and area community,” added John Petryshen, CEO with Parkinson Alberta.
Parkinson’s disease is the most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer’s disease. More than 8,000 Albertans experience a loss to both motor and non-motor functions caused by the depletion of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain.
The Buchanan Centre is set to open its doors in the summer of 2014.
