Helpful Tips on Caring for Parkinson’s Patients
Parkinson’s is presently incurable, and only diagnosed with patients have lost enough dopamine (a brain chemical that helps us walk) for symptoms to appear:
- A shuffling walk (no arm movement)
- Frequent falls
- A ‘mask-like’ face
- Mumbling speech
- Spidery handwriting
- Drooling
Although people often association PD with shaking, this is not always the case. A far greater risk is falling, due to poor balance. PD can be isolating (the voice goes low, it’s difficult to write and the ‘mask expression’ gives the impression of no interest, which can lead to depression).
Avoid food choking hazards like roast potatoes, nuts and seeds.
As the disease progresses, simple acts like doing up buttons, getting dressed, bathing, cooking and even holding cups can become difficult. Read more on sustainable tableware for carers.
It’s a good idea to ask your GP for an NHS occupational therapist to visit, who can go through your home and look for risks with adaptations to make homes safer and more fall-proof. Also avoid alcohol, get regular eye tests, and take gentle exercise. Simple Circles is a book of 10 simple exercises, created by a man after his own father suffered a fall.
Use non-slip mats and rugs, remove clutter and fix trailing wires and frayed carpets. Also rearrange or remove furniture, to create a safer ‘flow’ for walking around the home. Also wear supportive shoes (not clogs).
Has The Cause of Parkinson’s Been Found?
Experts think so. It’s now believed that PD is nearly always due to one of three causes:
- It’s now thought just 10 to 15% of PD cases are genetic.
- One other reason is head trauma (this can be from falls or lifestyles – boxer Mohammad Ali had Parkinson’s).
- The other (and more likely) reason for all other patients is pesticides, often from garden chemicals. One of concern is now banned in the UK, yet still exported from here to the US (that has not banned it). So it’s feasible that Americans are getting PD due to making profits for the UK chemical industry.
So obviously the best preventive measure is to try to live as organic as possible: read our organic gardening posts, as a good start. Organic lawns are safer for children and pets too – read more on pet-friendly gardens).
Get a Medication Review
Medicines for PD can have many side effects. So be sure you get a yearly medication review, to ensure other drugs are not interacting with it, and you are on the correct combination of medicines. Some ‘dinosaur doctors’ don’t offer a medication review each year, so ask or change your GP.
Never flush old medicines down the loo, take them to pharmacists for recycling.
Make Use of Genius Inventions!
Here are a few useful inventions that are helping PD patients around the world. Some are available on the NHS, others require private purchase (you can claim VAT relief).
Anyone with serious illness should claim entitled benefits (also for carers). This can considerably up your income (with back-pay up to 3 months in some cases). And then you also get other benefits (like free dental care, transport discounts, Radar keys and winter fuel allowance).
Pathfinder uses a laser to attach to a shoe, creating a ‘visual obstacle’ to prevent falling. You can’t adjust brightness (due to regulations) so it not be easy to see in sunlight. The founders say to wear hard flat shoes with little heels (not flops, nor indoor slippers with no heel cap).
SteadyScrib is a pen that uses magnetic technology to address tremors, rigidity and bradykinesia (slow movement). So writing goes back to normal.
Gyenno Spoon keeps hands steady while eating, like ‘sticking your hand in thick syrup’. It was invented by a medical student, who watched a patient struggle to eat a bowl of soup.
LaserCane beams a laser in your path, again to create an ‘obstacle’. this is pricey, so ask your GP (it costs the NHS than a hip replacement from a fall). Its sister produce U-Step is a safer zimmer frame, that won’t roll off and can glide over uneven surfaces. Both are on loan to hospitals.
StairSteady is an expensive (but more affordable) alternative to stair lifts. Invented by a student for her GCSEs, engineers fit quality handrails that lock in place. You can fold the handle away when not in use, and there are solutions for split stairs.
Beech Band was created (with an inventor friend) by a man with young-onset Parkinson’s, which dramatically affected his voice. One night while eating a chocolate bar, he discovered a tapping movement that let him speak. The prototype is currently raising funds to launch it for £15.
Kangaroo Cup was invented by a young girl to help her grandfather. It keeps shaking hands stable, to hold drinks. The first plastic ones are now being replaced by ceramic versions.
Switch Donations to Humane Research
Most Parkinson’s charities receive millions of pounds, and use it to carry out unkind, out-dated and ineffective experiments on innocent animals.
Instead, witch donations to humane research charities which fund boffins at universities doing wonderful work without animals, yet receive fewer funds and no government help. And more chance of a cure.
