Working with Parkinson’s Disease and Embracing Neurodiversity

Parkinson’s Disease and the effect that it has on someone is often not fully understood. There are currently 10 million people globally and 147,000 in the UK living with this condition. There are several neurological symptoms that are overlooked which is possibly down to little awareness. Reports suggest that an estimated 15% of the UK population are neurodivergent so, understanding and embracing this form of diversity potentially opens the door to great talent, teams and business practice. Therefore, One Nucleus were delighted to bring together Charlotte Allen and Russ Bradford from Parkinson’s Concierge and Elisabeth Goodman from

Charlotte was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease at the age of 36 and is currently running her two businesses: an insurance recruitment agency and Parkinson’s Concierge. 8 years ago, on Independence Day, ‘ironically’ as Russ says, this was the day he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, the day he felt as though he lost his independence, following a few years of misdiagnosis of a frozen shoulder for which he almost underwent an operation.

3 years ago, Charlotte and Russ met online via a Facebook support group and connected through their passion to want to help the community, be a voice for sufferers and campaign the areas that get little coverage. Since then, they have been ‘waving the wand’ for the Parkinson’s community to increase awareness with companies globally and take away the stigma and pre-conceptions that a Parkinson’s sufferer is ‘an old man bent over with a stick, trembling, shaking and being diagnosed at 40 years old’.

Neurodiversity is the difference in cognitive functioning of the human brain.

Recently, organisations have been using the terms ‘people-centric’ or ‘people-friendly’ as buzz words to appear to be an employer of choice. However, there is still much more that can be learnt to ensure companies are fulfilling this. Neurodiversity is not a new term and if companies learn more about it and take steps to support people with Parkinson’s in the workplace it can be hugely beneficial to both the organisation and employees. Understandably, it is a particularly complex disease and therefore may take time to understand. For companies who are already neurodivergent it is equally as important to continue to make them feel valued as a part of the team and to support them to help them achieve their potential within the organisation.

Parkinson’s Disease is the fastest growing neurological disorder globally and people can be diagnosed from as young as 7 years old. There are 60+ symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease that people are typically unaware of which makes daily tasks rather difficult including at night, Charlotte and Russ shared some of the examples in the bullet points below:

• Leg movements, jerking and cramping. • Talking or yelling while sleeping • Vivid dreams • Difficulty getting to sleep and broken sleep. • Excessive sleeping

• Walking problems • Tremors • Mask-like expressions • Motor fluctuations • Trouble eating • Weight loss/gain • Dry mouth • Pain • Muscle cramps • Speech issues • Drooling • Memory problems • Trouble chewing • Restless legs

• Fire detail processing • Memory • Concentration • Intuition • Empathy • Creativity

Charlotte and Russ explain how a lot of people are diagnosed with Parkinson’s from a young (working) age and this is called ‘Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease’ which is a ‘totally different ball game’ in comparison to being diagnosed later in life and can therefore cause a significant impact on mental health. On average in the UK it can take up to 2 years to see your first neurologist after being diagnosed.

Elisabeth opened her presentation by explaining the importance of ‘embracing different ways of thinking, feeling and doing’. There are several strengths associated with neurodiversity which are ‘invaluable’ in the working place for example:

• Innovative thinking • Verbal skills • Observational skills • Adaptability • Depth of thinking • Expression

There is a huge risk of losing touch of the above skills because we focus too much on the challenges that they can impose from not understanding the condition fully. This can also be down to the fact that those who are neurodivergent will have something called a ‘Spikey Profile’; this means that someone who shows great strength in creative thinking may have real difficulties around organisation, focus and time management although, this can vary across those who are neurodiverse because no one person is the same.

Elisabeth points out that we can make a real difference by focusing on the strengths and supporting and recruiting them; by recognising the challenges that those who are neurodivergent have had of fitting in to the social norms/accepted way of fitting in, interacting and socialising throughout education and by fostering and nurturing their strengths we can attract this talent into the Life Sciences.

The impacts of Covid-19 have had a positive impact on those who are suffering with Parkinson’s Disease because it enables them to work in the comfort of their own home and removes the added stress of transport. Moving forward, employers should continue to be flexible to meet the needs of their employees. However, there were some challenges raised that communication via virtual platforms can be complicated and when encouraging people to reach out, for example, Zoom calls can be uncomfortable and we need to explore how we can make it more diverse and inclusive.

• Avoid making assumptions about people’s feelings, especially because some symptoms are not obvious. • Respect people’s privacy as they may not always be willing and open to talking about their condition. • Take the time to listen and understand someone’s individual needs. Sometimes you may need to repeat things more than once and respect the fact that individuals will work at a different pace. • Most importantly ‘be patient and be kind’.

There is support available through Access to Work. The Equality Act 2010 states ‘a physical or mental impairment which has had a long-term adverse effect on a person’s ability to carry out a normal day-to-day activities’ employers are expected to create ‘reasonable adjustments’ to the working environment

You can view the full ‘Working with Parkinson’s Disease and Embracing Neurodiversity’

‘Colney Heath Chronicles’, a new book by Ruth Herman which is a light-hearted history of the tiny village which has cosied up to St Albans for at least 1000 years. It is an irreverent and interesting read. Not a huge book, but packed with stories of divorcing kings, land grabs, horse racing, cattle rustling and of course highwaymen. The Colney Heath Chronicles is accessible history and it’s fun. Find out more £7.50 (+ p & p £1.50) All proceeds go to charity including £1 from each sale to Parkinson’s UK. For more information and sales contact

30-31 March 2021