Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson’s disease is a chronic condition affecting about one in every 100 people over age 60.  People who have Parkinson's disease (also called PD) don't have enough of a chemical called dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is the chemical that tells the brain how to control and coordinate body movements.  There is currently no cure for PD.

THE FIVE STAGES OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Stage 1—Symptoms are very mild and annoying.  They are usually on one side of the body. 

Stage 2—Symptoms begin to affect both sides of the body and they are more obvious. 

Stage 3—Symptoms are very obvious.  The client’s balance and walking are affected a lot.  Standing is a problem, too.  The general coordination of the client begins to fail.

Stage 4—Symptoms are more severe.  The client can still walk, but not very well.  Stiffness and slowness are a big problem.  Many clients become unable to live alone.

Stage 5—Symptoms are disabling.  The client is unable to walk or stand, becomes completely dependent on others and requires constant care. 

HELPING CLIENTS WHO HAVE PARKINSON'S DISEASE

• Remind your clients to take their medications ON TIME!!!  Many PD medications are short acting and must be taken at certain times to help prevent the “on /off effect.”   Encourage your clients to move around after they take their medication.  It will help with digestion and absorption of the drugs.
• Encourage your clients to eat properly.   You may have to serve your clients soft foods and cut up their meat into small pieces because tremors and swallowing problems will make eating more difficult and time consuming.
• Remind your clients to pace themselves!  Don’t do too much all at once.  To prevent fatigue, try several short exercise sessions through out the day.
• Be patient!  PD clients can take a long time to do everyday tasks.  Rushing them can cause stress and that could make the PD symptoms even worse—and may actually slow your client even more!
• If your PD client’s feet freeze, encourage them to rock back and forth or side to side to get the feel of moving again.  Or suggest that they imagine they are going to step over an object.  If they use a walker, sometimes it helps to pull back on it to get the feet moving again.