As I sit in my living room, staring at the long end of another lockdown day, for which I have no clue how to fill…I am handling a letter from Parkinson’s UK, and I immediately am drawn to the printed ‘mission statement’ on the envelope…There, in clear font are the two words…”change Attitudes “…My mind races to Boris Johnson’, and I think of ‘saving lives’ etc…But then I allow some contemplation…Why, I thought, do I wish my friends and relatives to change their attitudes to me…After all, everyone I interact with has voiced, at appropriate occasions, their deep empathy, wishes of strength, and offers to assist at any time, plus in any capacity…No one has called me ‘disabled’ nor ignored or indeed resented my presence.
Well, that got me to thinking…What attitudes do other folk feel they are met with?..There’s always the story of patients with dyskinesia being taken for alcoholics…perhaps that’s the quandary?
Then I let my mind wander…How would I prefer people’s attitudes to be…I welcome peoples suggestions…maybe life should be better lived with common interactions like the following?
‘Hey Will…Fred told me you’ve had Parkinson’s for 6 years’…You jammy blighter…I gather that, when you’re switched ‘off’ …you can barely lift your arms, and everything becomes like treacle…you lucky sod…that’s like being completely stoned…and you havn’t had to spend any money…! I also hear that you’ve had to take early retirement, and have heard that you have no income at all, given you aren’t incapacitated sufficiently to classify for PIP income support…Well let me tell you that I think you are an absolute star, not depleting the state!!
Can’t sleep well, egh!!! You lucky git !!..I bet you can achieve so much more in a given day than I can, burdened as I am with a nightly slip into 8 hrs unconsciousness …And you take 15 pills a day…Wow, I bet you can skip a meal without being hungry. !,
Yes…that would be interesting ‘Attitude adjustment’
@William, wouldn’t it be great if we could change attitudes. I have been both physically and verbally abused due to mr parky entering my life. Even by those who should know better. My GP when I first went to him was dissolve, said it was all in my mind and the if I wasn’t overweight and I didn’t smoke… my reaction not printable but to say he ain’t my GP anymore.
When I was first dx I hid it as I was still coming to terms with it, one day returning back from lunch a very senior colleague, litteraly bumped into me and instead of an apology said loudly looks like you had one to many at lunchtime. A horrible day but also a day that changed my attitudes, so what I have PD but I am still me and I openly now tell people about how it affects me.
A long road ahead but we all need to step up and help change attitudes and lack of understanding. One day at time WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. 
I would phone up your local parkinsons support worker they will help you fill in the pip forms and any other benefits ie free bus pass, medication disabled badge, hand rails get what you’re entitled too
Although it might not have surprised you to hear that we can often predict people’s behaviors if we know their thoughts and their feelings about the attitude object, you might be surprised to find that our actions also have an influence on our thoughts and feelings. It makes sense that if I like strawberry jam, I’ll buy it, because my thoughts and feelings about a product influence my behavior.