BBC's John Stapleton reveals devastating Parkinson's diagnosis and shares fears for the future

dailyrecord.co.uk:

John Stapleton has publicly shared his Parkinson's diagnosis for the first time in an intimate documentary featuring his son and fellow BBC broadcaster Nick Stapleton.The national news legend is a well known figure with a 50-year tenure on shows like Newsnight, Panorama, and Good Morning Britain.Delving into the effects of his condition, John disclosed: "Speaking is how I've earned my living for the best part of 50 years, and it's very frustrating sometimes, particularly if people are constantly saying to you, sorry, what did you say? "And you have to repeat yourself time and time and time again.

I'm fairly pragmatic about the prospect of this getting worse. I try to remain positive because what's the point of not being (positive)."Recent research revealed that 74% of individuals dread engaging in conversations about care with an elder family member.In the film, Nick examines the strategies to handle family discussions regarding John's diagnosis and the resultant hurdles that surface.

John also addresses the parallel between his symptoms and those his mother faced with Parkinson's, noting similar mobility issues currently affecting him.Meanwhile, Nick reflects on the challenge of walking in his father's shoes two decades later, contemplating the ways to assist a parent through their diagnosis and the potential conversations about necessary support ahead, reports the Mirror.

Nick went on to say: "It's early days for us, and thankfully dad is still fairly independent, but nonetheless I want to start these conversations now, to get some potentially difficult topics out in the open and make it easier for later on."Georgina Jones, a senior care advisor at Parkinson's UK, offered Nick advice on how to sensitively discuss the