As part of its continued efforts, through a series of social activities, to amplify the message of Parkinson’s disease in Nigeria, Adewunmi Desalu Parkinson’s Foundation in collaboration with Parkinson’s Africa, hosted the maiden edition of the Walking Football Parkinson’s Cup recently.
The 5-a-side match, which was held at the Eagle Club, Surulere, Lagos, educated the community on the misconceptions and stigma around the disease, raised awareness of the physical and mental challenges faced by Parkinson’s patients, and encouraged support for research and treatment through a blend of educational materials, and sporting activities.
Noting the progress achieved so far through advocacy works to curb the second most prevalent neurodegenerative condition in the world after Alzheimer’s, the Chair, Board of Trustees, Adewunmi Desalu Parkinson’s Foundation, Omorinsojo Desula, said that there had been improved prospects of life expectancy of persons living with the condition.
“Years back, in Nigeria, the average lifespan of persons living with Parkinson’s was 42 years. It has gone up slowly, and right now, I think it is 62. But as we are all getting older, we all know that they will live longer because we all know more about how to live longer, and most of them are shooting for 90.
“This is a disease that typically affects people over the age of 60, mostly men. But as you can see from today, there are lots of females and younger people getting onsets of Parkinson’s, but as we become an ageing population, we will begin to see more and more Parkinson’s cases in our community. We need to be alert,” she advised.
“We wanted to find a way, a safe exercise for people with Parkinson’s to keep healthy, fit, in the simplest possible way, but also use it to bridge the gap and use it as an educational and awareness tool,” Executive Director, Parkinson’s Africa, Tania Parks explained on the choice for adopting walking football, a modified version of football designed for older people or people with limited mobility.
She added, “I’ve worked in Africa for 20 years, and I have worked in the HIV sector. When I first started 20 years ago, people were scared of HIV, and it took a lot of time for high-level politicians and governments to recognize and do something about it, and over the years, that kind of propagated, and it became easier. With Parkinson’s disease, we are very much at that ’20 years ago’ stage. Not just in Nigeria, but my assessment of it on the continent.”
Powered by Vitol Foundation, The 5-a-side match hosted 12 teams, with Dream Team emerging victorious after various thrilling rounds to cart away the grand prize. Members of the audience also participated in a raffle draw, winning various branded products.
Additionally, a friendly match was played by people living with Parkinson’s to the delight of the crowd, who cheered them on.
The well-attended event also had the Chair, Board of Trustees, Parkinson’s Africa, Omotola Thomas; Chair Advisory Board, Dr Aderemi Desalu; and a representative of Vitol, Chibuzor Ifeanyi, in attendance.
