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Caring for the Parkinson's Disease Patient at Home

Approximately 90% of Parkinson's patients live at home with their families or other caregivers. Despite the disease, patients can live at home in relative comfort when the family members understand the disease and can help make adjustments. It is easier for the patient to adapt to the fact that the symptoms they have been experiencing are because they have Parkinson's if they are given the diagnosis in a calm and factual manner. Patients adjust better when family members understand the disease and are able to make adaptations. When the facts are known, it eliminates guesswork and erroneous assumptions that may be worse than the truth.

It is critical that all be done to prevent falls in the home since the disease involves the patient being unsteady, out of balance, and slowness of movement. The patient can also experience periodic freezing of legs in which initiating movement is difficult and the tendency to stumble is great. The home should be free of all loose or scatter-type of rugs. Carpets should be fastened down well. Doorsills should be removed. If the home has stairs the need for having most if not all of the necessities on one floor should minimize going up and down. A railing should be installed on both sides of the stairs. The rooms should be well lit. Handles can be placed in all areas where the patient would need to rise from a sitting position to a standing position such as by a toilet, by the bed, in a shower and bathtub.

The individual with Parkinson's has slowness of movement so he or she must be given extra time to accomplish tasks such as dressing in order to not feel rushed. Work out a time schedule so that the individual can do as many self-care tasks as possible so that they can maintain a positive self-image as long as possible.

The energy level will be low, so consolidate trips such as going to the doctor's with going to the bank or store so that outing are limited to one or two days a week instead of having something to do everyday. This will conserve energy by giving more days of less activity.

It will take the Parkinson's patient longer to eat a meal and the others should stay around the table longer to make them feel more like they are not alone or feeling like they are too slow. To keep the food from growing to cold, keep a warming tray handy. Use a spoon instead of a fork when possible to make feeding easier. Adjust consistency of food to the chewing ability of the patient. The individual with Parkinson's should be weighted weekly, as weight loss is a concern. Sometimes the diet can be adjusted to a higher-intake one to add more calories. Good nutrition is vital because they may not be getting enough food intakes so the diet must be made up for quantity by increasing the quality of the food.