Lack of an ecosystem to care for PD patients: Over the eight years that Dr. Priya has battled PD, she realized that there are many challenges faced by patients of Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and other Neurological Diseases (ND) in India: late diagnosis, social stigma, lack of education / awareness among patients / caregivers, lack of holistic approaches to managing PD and ND, lack of medical access among poor patients, and lack of support groups.
SAAR’s Mission: It is in this context, and with a view to giving back to society, that she started SAAR with the mission of making a difference to the lives of PD and ND patients. SAAR’s tag line, “Shake off and move on”, reflects the emphasis on helping PD patients accept the disease and make lifestyle changes to help cope with and slow down the disease progression.
SAAR is an acronym for the four pillars upon which all of SAAR’s activities will be based: