PSP Awareness Tea Party

One of our residents at Hazel House is affected by Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP). To raise awareness of PSP within the home and to help raise money for the PSP Association's ongoing research programmes; residents, the local TOTs group  and care staff came together on Friday 9th April to hold a Tea Party and discuss the effects of PSP.

PSP is a degenerative brain disease that currently affects over 10,000 people in the UK. The area of the brain susceptible to PSP is also the part that controls balance, vision, speech and the ability to swallow. Those with the disease progressively lose their ability to move and communicate affectively whilst maintaining a high level of mental awareness.

PSP is commonly mistaken for Parkinson disease. Increased awareness of the differences between the two movement disorders is important as treatments that help many people with Parkinson disease offer little or no relief to those with PSP. As yet there is still no effective treatment for PSP.

Above Natassia Pickup enjoying a cup of tea with a resident. Natassia is a carer at Hazel House, currently doing her degree in nursing where she is studying PSP as part of her course.

If you know of anybody with PSP or are interested in finding out more about the disease, please follow this link to the PSP Europe Association's Website.