How To Take Care Of Your Parent With Parkinson’s Disease

For your parent to be diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease is a life-changing moment for both you and them. Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurological condition that is highly unpredictable — with both physical and psychological symptoms that can make daily life hard for the patient. As their child who may not be with them, it is essential for you to be as supportive and loving to your parent as possible to help them navigate these challenging times. Here’s a guide to caring for your parent while giving them the best Parkinson’s treatment in Bangalore.

Understanding Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative condition, causing damage to the dopamine-producing neurons in a specific area of the brain. Dopamine controls the brain’s reward and pleasure centers, and regulates muscle movement. If dopamine levels reduce, it can result in tremors, rigid movements, unsteady gait, and poor balance. Parkinson’s disease currently has no cure, although Parkinson’s treatment can alleviate the symptoms to a large extent. Stem cell therapy, regenerative rehabilitation therapy, physiotherapy and occupational therapy can all help.

How to take care of your parent with Parkinson’s Disease

Watching your parent become steadily sicker and lose their abilities can be extremely hard for you. You may feel overwhelmed about being a good caregiver to them while treating them as much like a normal person as possible. As a first step, educate yourself as much as possible about Parkinson’s disease by reading up on it and talking to a doctor. Here are some tips to help you care better for your parent.

Talk to them about enjoyable things

Your parent is likely to feel frustrated or depressed if you constantly discuss their illness or ask them how they are feeling. Instead, engage them in conversations about pleasant things like books, movies or memories of things you have done together. You can even take them out for dinner or watch a movie together and bond as you used to before the diagnosis.

Be patient without intervening too much

Patients with Parkinson’s disease may speak in a soft or slurred manner, have tremors that inhibit them from doing simple things, and walk with an unsteady gait. You will thus need to be patient with them as they speak or go about their day. At the same time, do not always offer to help them out, as feeling like an invalid could frustrate. By enabling them to do things on their own, you can help them feel more independent and thus boost their confidence and self-esteem.

Ask your family members to help

If you have close relatives in town, engage them to help out from time to time. They will likely be glad to help, and it gives you the opportunity to take a break. For instance, you can ask your sibling or your spouse to take your parents to the doctor every Saturday morning. You should also refrain from hesitating to reach out to family members, if you need help with financing. The best Parkinson’s treatments in Bangalore are expensive, with the costs of medication or physiotherapy, adding up over time.

Have your own support system

Caregivers experience tremendous stress of their own, both from the strain of always looking after someone and the emotional trauma of watching their parent suffer. Have your own friends and family network in place to talk to or even help you out if you are feeling overwhelmed. You may also wish to seek help from a counselor for your mental health. Take time off as and when you need to, and take time out for yourself for a run or a meal. You should also make sure you get enough sleep every night.

Know when to seek medical help when needed

If you find yourself unable to care for your parent, either because of other commitments in your own life or because your parent’s health is declining steadily, it may be time to consider other options like a live-in nurse or taking your parent to an assisted living facility. This is a big decision, so make sure you and other family members are comfortable with this. You may also face resistance from your parent, so think about how you plan on communicating to them that the change is necessary.

Caring for a parent with Parkinson’s disease is hard, especially because the both of you know that there is no cure. By giving them emotional love and support in addition to fulfilling your duties as a caregiver, you can prepare them to better navigate the condition as positively as possible.

A highly regarded neurologist and stem cell specialist, Dr Na’eem Sadiq studied neurology and clinical neurophysiology in London before working with some of England’s and the Middle East’s most prestigious medical institutions. He completed his MBBS