How Do I Care For Someone With Parkinson’s Disease?

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that demands proper care for the patient. Since it adversely affects the motor abilities of the patient, a caregiver is extremely important who can take care of the patient. The major aim of the caregiver should involve-

Quality of Life: The caregiver plays an important role in maintaining the quality of life of the patient with Parkinson’s disease.

Appointments: The caregiver should be responsible for keeping a track of all the appointments with the doctor.

Medicines: The caregiver has to make a note of all the medications prescribed to the patient by the doctor and give him those medicines from time to time.

Exercise: The caregiver should be aware of the general health of the patient. The patient should have a balanced and healthy diet and exercise regularly. This should be checked by the person who takes care of the patient.

Knowledge: The caregiver should make attempts to educate himself about the signs and symptoms of the Parkinson’s disease along with the treatment protocol and the progression of the disease.

Understanding: The love and care offered to the patient by the caregiver can help him deal better with the mental turmoil accompanying the Parkinson’s disease.

Although caring for a loved one is naturally deeply satisfying, it can also be stressful for caregivers who are responsible for providing constant care to patients with Parkinson’s disease. Not only physically, caring for a patient with Parkinson’s disease can prove to be emotionally challenging as well. Caregivers may find it particularly difficult to maintain a balanced personal life without facing periods of anger and guilt at times. In order to look into this matter, support groups so formed not only help the patients to deal with their mental pressure, but also their caregivers-

Stress Relief: With the help of the support groups the caregivers do not have to face their share of emotional pressure alone. Professional help from these groups help them relieve stress.

New Perspective: The support groups help the caregivers by offering a new perspective on the care-giving relationship with the patient.

Better Understanding: The support groups may provide a better understanding of the how’s and why’s of behavior pattern elicited by the patient with Parkinson’s disease.

Communication: The support groups also provide a platform for open communication with other people facing the same struggles.

Tips for Better Coping: These groups provide an opportunity to share suggestions, tops and ideas among the group members.

A person with Parkinson’s disease is required to go for regular checkups to his health care professional for the following reasons-

Better Insight: The check-ups help the health care professionals to check if the Parkinson’s disease treatment procedure is working or not and also provides an insight about the necessary adjustments to be made.

Detecting New Problems- Regular follow-ups help in detection of new problems with cognition, behavior or mood which might need special treatment.

Discussion: The follow-ups provide a platform for caregivers to discuss the problems with respect to the patient’s care.

Susceptibility to Dementia: It can also be known if the patient is susceptible to dementia with the help of regular checkups.

Dementia: It may happen so that the person with Parkinson’s disease developing dementia may not be able to take care of himself or take decisions about his healthcare. Thus, caregivers should be extra careful and follow the regular follow-ups with the doctor.

Parkinson’s disease is progressive in nature and patients so affected by it should be taken care with extreme caution. Efforts must be taken to keep a record of the patient’s medication and follow-up routines with the doctor.

Also Read:

• Parkinson’s Disease: Causes, Symptoms, Investigations, Treatment
• What Are The Early Signs Of Parkinson’s Disease?
• What Are The Five Stages Of Parkinson’s Disease?
• What is the Life Expectancy of Someone with Parkinson’s Disease?
• Why do People With Parkinson’s Lose Weight?
• Who May Be Trapped with Parkinson’s Disease?
• Can You Reverse Parkinson’s Disease?