From the age of nine, when she used to wrap her baby brother in bandages, Rosemary Maguire always knew she would be a nurse. But little did she expect to be a pioneer.
Her groundbreaking work began almost by accident 13 years ago, when the doctor she was working with exposed the lack of care and support for people with Parkinson's disease - the degenerative neurological condition characterised by tremor, slowness and stiffness. In 1989, Maguire became Britain's first Parkinson's disease nurse specialist (PDNS). Since then, dozens have followed in her footsteps and there are now 110 specialists working in hospitals and the community across the country.
As part of her work, in Cornwall, Maguire provided an invaluable link between people with Parkinson's and other health professionals and carers, who were often unaware of patients' special needs. For the first time, people with Parkinson's had a ready source of information on drugs, other therapies and essential emotional support.
Maguire, now 62 and still innovating in the care of Parkinson's patients, recalls: "When I first started, there was nothing. Patients felt very unsupported and had very little knowledge about how to manage the fluctuations in condition. They had enormous difficulties getting any help. It was even harder for people living in rural areas. They desperately needed support."
Building support services came naturally to Maguire, whose strong desire to help others goes back to her childhood in Camborne, mid-Cornwall. In those days, when she was not volunteering for the Red Cross, she could be found sitting on her mother's bed playing at being a nurse, using her brother as a patient.
Her parents encouraged her, particularly her mother, who had always wanted to be a nurse but never realised her ambition. At 17, after completing her O-levels, Maguire enrolled on a pre-nursing course at Truro grammar school. It marked the start of a nursing career that spanned 43 years and included stints as a midwife, district nurse, health visitor for people with TB and, latterly, health visitor specialising in the care of older people.
Maguire soon realised the daily challenges faced by the elderly. But it was not until 1987, when she began working with a consultant with a special interest in Parkinson's, that she realised the particular difficulties faced by those living with the condition.
Asked to carry out a study of patients and their families, she discovered health professionals were not giving them the advice they needed. Instead of being given tips on ways to alleviate their debilitating symptoms, many patients were simply left to fend for them selves. With 1,000 Parkinson's sufferers in Cornwall, and 120,000 scattered nationwide, Maguire felt such neglect could not be allowed to continue. She presented her findings to managers at Cornwall and Isles of Scilly health authority, who swiftly appointed her nurse specialist.
"Parkinson's is a chronic, terminal condition," says Maguire, who is now branch secretary of the mid-Cornwall Parkinson's Disease Society. "But people can live 20, 30, 40 or 50 years providing they have the information to cope. In the past, patients were unaware that some of the drugs used to treat the condition had side effects. They could become confused as a result of their medication, yet not realise this was the problem.
"I have always tried to help people live as normally as they can. The important thing has been to listen to patients and their concerns - and coordinate the care of people with Parkinson's. That has meant educating other health professionals, such as physios and occupational therapists, about the nature of the condition, so treatments are given appropriately."
Maguire's expertise, learned on the ground, meant she was a natural choice for setting up a training course for Parkinson's disease nurse specialists at Plymouth university. The Parkinson's Disease Society was quick to recognise her work and, in 1992, won funding for four specialist nurses. The number has since risen dramatically - but is still well below the recommended one for every 250,000 of the population, leaving huge swathes of the country without this help. The society is now campaigning for 240 specialist nurses.
Mary Baker, the society's chief executive, says: "Until we have a cure, the management of Parkinson's and the quality of life for those with the condition is our priority."
Paying special tribute to Maguire, Baker says: "As the first PDNS, Rosemary Maguire helped shape the standards and role of this invaluable profession. Every area of the country deserves nurse specialists like Rosemary if people with Parkinson's are to get the best care, information and understanding possible."
For Maguire, the work goes on. Despite retiring two years ago, she still lectures at the University of Plymouth. In April, she set up an institute for clinical excellence designed to spread good practice in the management of Parkinson's. At the same time, she is encouraging the adoption of alternative therapies such as T'ai Chi - which has been shown to help the balance of Parkinson's patients.
It is now more than 50 years since she bandaged her baby brother, but Maguire is still happiest working. She says: "I wouldn't have it any other way. There is still room for improvement in the care of people with Parkinson's in Cornwall - and I will go on working to that end."
