Ordinary Life: A Podcast About Parkinson's.

Kitty gets her disability parking permit, and uses it! We talk about having an invisible disability, and how it seems to matter that we look like we are disabled to access support. Keep up with us via the links below : Instagram / Facebook / Website This episode was first broadcast on 7/7/2026 at pm by Coast Access Radio 104.7 FM, a Community Access Media Alliance station amplifying the voices of...

Kitty has a bit of an off day, so we indulge ourselves in a pity party. Sometimes we just want a day off from the weight of Parkinson's!

Because truth is stranger than fiction Kitty's husband Mike has his own chronic condition, as a survivor of an out of hospital sudden cardiac arrest. We all share the same frustration with well meaning but uninformed advice. Keep up with us via the links below : Instagram / Facebook / Website This episode was first broadcast on 23/6/2026 at pm by Coast Access Radio 104.7 FM, a Community Access Med...

Kitty talks honestly with Emma about her grief, resentment and fears about Parkinson's. Keep up with us via the links below Instagram / Facebook / Website This episode was first broadcast on 16/6/2026 at pm by Coast Access Radio 104.7 FM, a Community Access Media Alliance station amplifying the voices of Kāpiti and Horowhenua. Supported by NZ On Air.

Deep brain stimulation: the reality. Emma talks to Kitty about being approved for deep brain stimulation (DBS), her fears about undergoing brain surgery, and her hopes for life with the device. Keep up with us via the links below : Instagram / Facebook / Website This episode was first broadcast on 2/6/2026 at pm by Coast Access Radio 104.7 FM, a Community Access Media Alliance station amplifying t...

Are you sick and tired (literally) of waiting for a cure for Parkinson's? We are too. We're also frustrated at the New Zealand health system's inability to comprehend our situation of living with a incurable neuro-degenerative illness, for which we will be on the same pills for life. There is an explosion of new weight loss drugs, and some areas of medicine seem to move very fast — while Parkinson...

The impact of dealing with Parkinson's over many years - the trials and tribulations of progressing with Parkinson's - it wears on us from time to time. What to do? Is have good a cry and carry on really the answer....? Keep up with us via the links below : Instagram / Facebook / Website This episode was first broadcast on 26/5/2026 at 2.00pm by Coast Access Radio 104.7 FM, a Community Access Medi...

Some of us find that Parkinson's slows us down. It's irritating and annoying, but the sooner you learn to forgive yourself for not being super-speedy the easier it gets. Keep up with us via the links below : Instagram / Facebook / Website This episode was first broadcast on 19/5/2026 at pm by Coast Access Radio 104.7 FM, a Community Access Media Alliance station amplifying the voices of Kāpiti and...

Everyone knows Michael J Fox has a disease. What is it? Oh yeah - that thing old people get, Parkinson's. We discuss Michael's film 'Still' and our thoughts watching it as people with Parkinson's ourselves. First broadcast on 3rd March 2025 on Coast Access Radio in NZ.

Are Carers of People With Parkinson's Undervalued? Kitty's friend told her they'd been advised by their partner with Parkinson's that they had no right to complain because it wasn't happening to them. Yet surely carers of Parkinson’s patients tread a tricky tightrope. Torn between sympathy and irritation, grieving the lost plans for their future happiness, are they not deserving of a friendly ear...

It's time to talk mobility aids. Why should we use them, when should we not? Are they good for us, or do they hold, us back mentally and physically? If you have Parkinson’s, how much should we rely on medical assistance instead of exercising? Keep up with us via the links below : Instagram / Facebook / Website This episode was first broadcast on 5/5/2026 at pm by Coast Access Radio 104.7 FM, a Com...

Emma talks about her return to Auckland hospital to undergo dopamine testing to identify her suitability for Deep Brain Stimulation to help overcome her Parkinson’s symptoms. Keep up with us via the links below : Instagram / Facebook / Website This episode was first broadcast on 5/5/2026 at pm by Coast Access Radio 104.7 FM, a Community Access Media Alliance station amplifying the voices of Kāpiti...

It's one thing to sympathise over the very real fears of Parkinson's. It's another to use that fear to scam people with pseudo science and a hefty side order of snake oil. Kitty and Emma talk about the various methods of assistance they've been offered. Grab yourself a plate of kale and discover the as yet undiscovered or lauded cures to all ills.

The very real issue that we enjoy intimacy too! Sex. Not always an easy subject to discuss, but having parkinson's, or any chronic illness doesn't mean you're devoid of wanting close contact with your consenting other. Keep up with us via the links below : Instagram / Facebook / Website This episode was first broadcast on 5/5/2026 at pm by Coast Access Radio 104.7 FM, a Community Access Media Alli...

When is honesty not the best policy? We all have our secret worries, fears and desire, but should we put voice to them in public? Opinions are valid, but if they could cause real harm, should they be shared to all? Emma and Kitty discuss an email they read from a respected Parkinson’s group. What are the implications it could have on people with Parkinson's? "Keep up with all things Ordinary Life...

Kitty does not read much research. Emma devours it. Is there a happy medium? What is it Kitty is afraid of? Is Emma happier for reading the articles she does? First broadcast on Coast Access Radio 31/3/2026

Johnny has just undergone Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) surgery to combat his severe dykinesia and symptoms caused by Parkinson’s Disease. Emma wants to know all, Kitty wonders what it really felt like. How confronting is the process of being awake during brain surgery? How quickly do things change? And how much difference is it already making? "Keep up with us via the links below : Instagram / Fac...

What's the Point? It's all a moot argument, isn't it? Parkinson's will get you in the end, so why push back at all? We discuss how we deal with feeling apathetic.

What do you do when people say, "have you tried...?" (insert product name) We talk about how to deal with the endless stream of unsolicited advice about Parkinson’s Disease. How it makes us feel, and why people have the urge to do it at all. Are you a neurology consultant? Bah. "Keep up with us via the links below : Instagram / Facebook / Website This episode was first broadcast on 10/3/2026 at pm...

We talk to Johnny Boyle of Auckland about life with Parkinson's, and his hopes for improvement as he prepares for Deep Brain Stimulation, major brain surgery to try to reduce his symptoms of Parkinson's disease. "Keep up with us via the links below : Instagram / Facebook / Website This episode was first broadcast on 3/3/2026 at pm by Coast Access Radio 104.7 FM, a Community Access Media Alliance s...

There's a huge range of different symptoms caused by Parkinsons, and Kitty and Emma talk about how they experience some and not others at different times. They explain how they try and roll with it. Adapt and keep moving people! "Keep up with us via the links below : Instagram / Facebook / Website https://ordinarylife.co.nz This episode was first broadcast on 24/2/2026 at pm by Coast Access Radio...

We're feeling the fear and doing it anyway in this episode! Kitty and Emma talk about how scary it is to be disabled in public, and the various ways we're both showing up in our own lives.

Having a plan and knowing what's right and wrong is great, but who comes up with these great ideas that actually don't help at all? Kitty and Mike talk about examples of some things that are supposed to help keep us safe, but real life doesn't always follow the plan that's been made by others.

Parkinson's is bad enough for those with the disease, but what about those around us? What impact does this have on our children, does it shape their view, affect their day to day lives? We talk to Kitty's daughter Amelia about her thoughts on living with those affected by changing health.

Emma talks about her appointment at Auckland Hospital for Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), an invasive yet effective treatment for the symptoms of Parkinson's. How does she feel, and how does one cope with the prospect of such major surgery? Contains graphic descriptions of treatments.