In Parkinson's, until very recently, healthcare has been based on the old paternalistic model in which decisions are largely made by neurologists, where necessary supported by other members of the health care team. Rarely have patients had any explicit role in decision-making. We also want to make Parkinson's more of a health care priority and this can only be achieved by raising the profile and number of Parkinson's advocates.

Patients are essential members of their own health management team. This is the first principle of Parkinson's Movement (PM). PM’s secondary purpose has been to convey the best science to patients and authoritative patient opinion to the medical profession and finally PM aims to push patient issues to the top of the research agenda.