A personal practical view on how to improve the performance of PD Diagnosed employees to prolong their work life. From legal, dietary, and physical advice to the adoption of modern technology and tactics to overcome physical challenges. A late amendment to include a Microsoft genius see slide 19 for details.

1. HITS CONSULTANCY LIMITED
The Knowledge Gateway
Parkinson’s Disease in the Workplace

2. How to overcome the PD physical & technical challenges
to improve productivity & staff retention.
A personal View by Bill Hannigan

3. Diagnosed formally with Parkinson's Disease (PD) in August 2012.
I have always been open with my clients and fellow contractors
about my condition; some sufferers opt to "hide" it from
employers for fear of being discriminated against. In actual fact,
in my experience, most people make the effort to adjust to your
disability. The motivation for my writing this article is not to elicit
favour or sympathy but to:
– provide clarity on what PD is and, perhaps more importantly,
what it is not;what it is not;
– advise on a few practical steps that could be adopted to
improve productivity from an Employer and Employee
perspective;
– provide tips on managing common workplace scenarios;
– focus minds on legal, diet control, medical & fitness at work;
– suggest links to other useful websites.
Encourage employers and PD sufferers to work
productively together post PD diagnosis.

4. • a progressive disease that impacts the "motor"
functions of the body due to a "chemical" imbalance;
for some reason the brain stops producing the chemical
Dopamine.
• unnatural, Dopamine enables your body to move
naturally, your arms and legs swing in a coordinatednaturally, your arms and legs swing in a coordinated
fashion, whereas my legs shuffle and I have to
consciously instruct my arms to move.
• frustrating to me, attempts to talk and walk at the
same time are very difficult; I genuinely cannot multi-
task.
• "managed" by taking time critical Dopamine
prescribed drugs, which “wear-off”;
• incurable; the drugs may have side effects (more
about that later).

5. • A mental illness. A lot of people mistakenly group
the disability with Alzheimer's or Senile Dementia;
the brain more or less functions as normal, whatever
normal is.
• An old person's disease, there are now people as
young as 30 being diagnosed;
• Contagious or hereditary;• Contagious or hereditary;
• Nor is it Terminal.
Some PD sufferers tend on occasion to become
depressed. However, lots more continue to work for
many years after being diagnosed.
The medical profession do not know what causes PD.

6. Yes, people with PD are disabled.
The good news is that there are no additional
requirements other than those stipulated in the
Equality Act 2010 or The Disability Discrimination Act
1995 (N. Ireland only).1995 (N. Ireland only).
PD sufferers may be entitled to:
• a blue badge – useful when few spaces around;
• a radar key – avoiding toilet queues;
• free prescriptions, in some cases; advice can be
obtained from the NHS Advice Line.
Disability Discrimination / Equality advice for both
Employers and Employees is available on the ACAS
Website.

7. • In medical emergencies, be aware that PD sufferers
must take their prescribed drugs at regular intervals;
failure to do will make their condition worse.
•
• Should your employee be incapacitated or
unconscious and therefore need medical assistance,
advice must be obtained from a specialist Parkinson’s
Nurse / Doctor before administrating other drugs.Nurse / Doctor before administrating other drugs.
• PD medication can interact with other drugs and
cause an adverse reaction.
• If in doubt, do naught!

8. Not one PD sufferer has the same journey, so in my
experience there have been a number of physical
challenges to overcome, these include:
• Hand-writing; this gets smaller until illegible,
speed becomes slow and deliberate;
• Mouse Coordination: double clicking is very
difficult to master, click and drag becomes hit anddifficult to master, click and drag becomes hit and
miss, and image creation takes longer;
• Keyboard speed & skills: The ability to compress
multiple keys e.g. Cnt'l, Alt, Del becomes difficult;
typing code is a challenge, and typing whilst
connected to projector can be embarrassing
when you become "finger heavy";
• Facial Expression; I call it "The Parky Mask", it is
in essence a blank, disinterested, emotionless
face that can be unnerving to others. Shame, I
never learnt to play poker;

9. • Voice control: The concept of volume control is lost
to a PD sufferer; there is only one tone, "normal". In
reality, I'm more likely to be mumbling, occasionally
shouting.
• Overall movement: Every aspect of movement and
dexterity is impacted, shuffling , twisting, fiddling
with connections, and the Parkinson tremors and
involuntary jerks.
• Ability to multi-task: In the words of the Parkinson
Specialist Physio, I can no longer "talk, do & listen" ,
it is only one of those at a time
• Medical side-effects: There are numerous
medicinal side effects, but a few to be aware of…
excessive compulsive behaviour, outward displays
of emotion, and cravings. In my case, the excessive
behaviour was a fixation with work and deadlines,
tears “welling up”, and sweets.

10. There are a number of tactics a PD Sufferer could use to
overcome difficulties in writing, typing and drawing,
ensuring they continue with the disciplines for as long as
possible: The tactics are:
• Use lined paper when taking notes and keep letters the same
size within the guidelines;
• Use abbr 2 speed up ltrs + bull pts;
• When using flip-chart paper, prepare in advance pencil lines• When using flip-chart paper, prepare in advance pencil lines
with gaps to match text size, and lightly draw images to go over
in marker in the meeting;;
• arrange before the meeting, for someone to scribe
notes & actions and either scan them in or take a picture
on mobile;
• when typing gets too bad , plan ahead and agree for
someone else to drive whilst you facilitate;
• use voice commands to type; (see technology slide);
• get permission to record meeting, keep spare power.
• run a workshop where teams write up their notes and
you consolidate afterwards.

11. As the PD starts to take hold, the volume control
within your brain becomes faulty so that when
you talk it sounds “normal” to you but others
can hardly hear you, in fact you will mumble.
Knowing this you should:
• Amplify your voice, speak up until you think it
loud;
• Let people know you have PD so that they can• Let people know you have PD so that they can
ask you to speak up when mumbling;
• Use amplifying equipment but avoid
“feedback”;
• Use a professional speech therapist;
• Pre-record key aspects of the presentation;
• Avoid multi-tasks, talk or do, don’t talk and do.

12. All of the physical challenges can be overcome with an
amount of cooperation and teamwork.
As PD progresses a small investment on specialist
software may become necessary,. Make sure it is safe
to use, compatible and adaptable for different users,
systems and equipment, and that it works, prior to
purchase.purchase.
As an IT Consultant and Principal Business Analyst, with
my own Limited Company, I’m responsible for my own
Health & Safety. I buy my ITC kit but need to be
compliant with my Client’s policies when on-site or
travelling to/from site; this includes the use of their IT
and Mobile Equipment which can / usually does have
different versions of software. There may be other
techie challenges to workaround, nothing is impossible.

13. • Use Voice Controlled Software (VCS):
• I have Dragon VCS installed on my own computers,
observations are:
• Very difficult too configure profiles;
• set-up to match the style of the user, and the equipment used to
communicate.;
• it has pre-defined Commands for the standard Microsoft products;
user must learn these
• it has a text tool for other specialist software;• it has a text tool for other specialist software;
• two workarounds required where the Client expects the
contractor to use their laptops, software (different versions), and
the USB the drives are disabled (use the general text tool, email
myself at work, and copy / paste);
• Use Microsoft Lync: It is a good collaborative tool, and it
saves typed conversations”. I prefer to use the in-built
comms but quite often the recipient doesn’t always have
the headphones.

14. Mobile phones:
• Use the Android voice
option to type text;
• Google developing an app
navigation tool;
• WhatsApp is a great
alternative to MS Lync.alternative to MS Lync.
Computers:
• Voice Controlled Software;
• App Navigation;
• Microsoft Lync.

15. The pace of improvement and range of equipment being
developed for people with disabilities is encouraging.
I'm an avid fan of BBC's Click programme and watch it to
keep up with the latest technology.
This particular episode demonstrates a host of inventions /
new Apps for the disabled. Click for the Disabled.
As an "early adopter" of technology, a marketer's dream, I
feel it is important to know the art of the possible; besides
which , I have worked hard at earning the nicknamewhich , I have worked hard at earning the nickname
"Captain Gadget".
Hot off the press is this heart warming story of
Emma a 30 year Graphic Designer, who has PD and
had lost the ability to draw and write, but thanks to a
really clever inventor for Microsoft Emma is back in
business. Watch a genius in action Haiyan Zhang.

16. Use Virtual Reality Software (VCS):
Technology advances continue at a rapid pace
and a lot of new generation games consol’s will
have VR capability over the next year. Industry R
& D teams “pick up the gauntlet” (my new game& D teams “pick up the gauntlet” (my new game
name), and run of to design next generation
applications.
Who knows what the future holds? Dictation by
thought control or by eye movement? A cure for
PD?
Is a digital revolution about to start?

17. Those that know me will know that I love my food. However, I’ve
had to recognise that, for a PD sufferer, the most important aspect is
a healthy diet. We have to be mindful of cravings, and avoid eating
protein as it adversely affects the digestive distribution of PD
medicine (that’s a mouthful). At work the canteens and vending
machines “tempt” you off the straight and narrow. The eating out
culture of a contractor, fast food, kerb side café’s, petrol stations, and
“eat all you can” restaurants are the road to ruin, pardon the pun.“eat all you can” restaurants are the road to ruin, pardon the pun.
All is not lost, to eat healthily at work you need to plan ahead and either:
• buy and prepare healthy food in advance; if you need help visit this
PD diet advice website;
• speak to the work’s canteen, surprisingly, they are used to catering
for different individual needs;
• for those cravings, buy small plastic tubs, a cool box, and slice up
celery, carrots, radish and add some dips like spicy salsa, humus, low
fat cheese to munch on during the day or while on the road;
• ring the restaurant up in advance, or opt for the healthy option but
avoid protein where possible.

18. Research has shown that regular exercise benefits people with
Parkinson’s disease. Exercise:
• reduces stiffness
• improves mobility, posture, balance and gait
• may also reduce depression
• increases oxygen to the heart, lungs, and nervous system to keep
them healthy
You don’t need a gym, you can complete a few simple chair exercisesYou don’t need a gym, you can complete a few simple chair exercises
safely in the workplace. Remember to exercise both body and mind, my
motto is “Use it or lose it!”.
Please ensure you have discussed and agreed with your PD
Nurse/Doctor that you can complete the planned exercises before
starting the programme.
To discover other PD exercises visit the Exercise & Physical Therapy
website

19. Employers have a responsibility to get the best out of their
employees, develop their knowledge and skills, and ensure
they are as productive and efficient as possible. Having PD is
not a barrier to work, creativity or productivity. As with any
Employee, there is an obligation to help them overcome the
physical and technical challenges in the workplace ; this can
easily be achieved by working in partnership with them and
your Occupational Health team.
Employees with PD have a responsibility to themselves to speakEmployees with PD have a responsibility to themselves to speak
up and let others, especially their employers' know of their
disability; it is only then that they can work with you to
overcome the challenges you will face.
Please take control of your own health and safety, the direction
you wish to travel and how long you wish to continue making a
valuable contribution to your workplace,
There is no need to suffer in silence, your condition will
continue to progressively get worse, but there are a host of
specialists around to help.

20. Some PD sufferers will carry an “I have Parkinson’s”
alert card which describes conditions they may have:
–I may have a tremor;
–I may suddenly be unable to move;
–I may be slow or unsteady on my feet;
–I may have difficulty speaking or writing;
–I can hear you and understand you, please give me time.
I have only used the card once, when put in to a team
who were very task focused and had unrealistic speed
of delivery expectations; I needed more time. Sadly,
Instead of been given more time I was moved on to a
different task. I would add a couple more bullet points
for the workplace:
– I may have difficulty multi-tasking, I can perform better by
completing one task at a time;
– I may have dexterity issues and may need voice controlled
software.

21. Thank you for taking the time out to read this PD article. I
hope you found it useful and informative. It is based upon my
own experiences and coping strategy for dealing with the
everyday challenges of having PD while in the workplace.
I’m not a PD specialist, if you need expert advice or want to
learn more about PD please visit the official Parkinson'slearn more about PD please visit the official Parkinson's
Disease Website.
There is also a free confidential helpline: 0808 800 0303.
I welcome feedback, especially suggested improvements.