Having previously worked with stroke survivors and people living with dementia in rehabilitation and support settings I understand the impact of physical mobility loss and the importance of staying physically active. This led me to work as a research assistant within Newcastle University using qualitative methods to explore the lived experiences of physical mobility loss in people with Parkinson’s in the UK, Ghana, and Kenya, as well as exploring the lived experience of people with Parkinson’s across Africa more widely.
During this time, I was involved in a study using wearable devices worn on the lower back for seven days to investigate real world walking in people with Parkinson’s in the UK and Ghana. This study found reduced walking quantity and quality of people with Parkinson’s in Ghana compared to the UK. Disease-related impairment does not fully capture the differences observed, which suggests socioecological factors may play an explanatory role. Using interviews and creative participatory methods I developed my PhD to examine sociocultural, environmental, and structural factors which influence the walking experience of people with Parkinson’s in the UK and Ghana. The aim is for this PhD to identify areas impacted by physical mobility loss so that support strategies can be developed as well as identifying and developing an evidence basis of structural issues around policy, and physical and social environments which influence the walking experience and thus need addressing to enable people with Parkinson’s to live well.
