I have just finished reading the well respected novelist,Susan Hill's recently published crime novel called,Betrayal of Trust. I have written to the author as I feel her portrayal of one of the characters,who has Parkinson's, is inacccurate. After only six years he has in need of a carer to be in the house full time, appears to be bed ridden,needs oxygen on occasions is pretty well incapable of doing anything.It would really frighten anyone newly diagnosed. I know that everyone progresses at different rates but this does not seem to be the regular idiopathic Parkinson's as experienced by the majority of people.
I wondered whether anyone else had come across P.w.P in novels, portrayed in either accurate or inaccurate ways.
The author has kindly E mailed me back to say that not only did she know someone with Parkinson's, but had consulted both a G.P and a neurologist. I cannot argue with that
Hi ECD. New year, new start? 
It's a shame that following your reading of Betrayal of Trust your very valid observations and well intentioned advice got such a defensive rather than constructive response from author Susan Hill. Although your comments were correct and valid, once one is stonewalled by such an unreceptive author there's little more one can do.
As PwP we observe the way this horrible condition affects us and hundreds like us every day of our lives, on both sides of the front door. A response that Ms Hill "knows someone with Parkinson's" and "has consulted both a GP and a neurologist" is derisory. As all of us here know, every single Parkinson's patient has a different set of symptoms, and so - with 120,000 Parkinsonians in the UK - to base her tale on the ONE she knows is absurd.
Similarly consulting a GP is pointless, since 95% of them admit to knowing nothing at all about PD: they simply refer cases to a consultant neurologist. And even then the latter will know nothing relevant unless they specialise in PD or movement control disorders.
Your author could have acquired 100 times as much useful information just by tuning into this forum.
Ray.
It's a shame that following your reading of Betrayal of Trust your very valid observations and well intentioned advice got such a defensive rather than constructive response from author Susan Hill. Although your comments were correct and valid, once one is stonewalled by such an unreceptive author there's little more one can do.
As PwP we observe the way this horrible condition affects us and hundreds like us every day of our lives, on both sides of the front door. A response that Ms Hill "knows someone with Parkinson's" and "has consulted both a GP and a neurologist" is derisory. As all of us here know, every single Parkinson's patient has a different set of symptoms, and so - with 120,000 Parkinsonians in the UK - to base her tale on the ONE she knows is absurd.
Similarly consulting a GP is pointless, since 95% of them admit to knowing nothing at all about PD: they simply refer cases to a consultant neurologist. And even then the latter will know nothing relevant unless they specialise in PD or movement control disorders.
Your author could have acquired 100 times as much useful information just by tuning into this forum.
Ray.
Thank you for your reply. This novel is part of a series and as the central figure,the dectective,fancies the wife of the PwP, I can see the PWP being bumped off early. Need I mention that clinics that provide euthanasia are also in the story.Only hope she is a good enough author not to write the next in the series as could easily be predicted.