What is Parkinson’s disease?
Parkinson’s Disease is a neurodegenerative condition whereby the brain starts to break down and become damaged over time. The exact damage is specific to the part of the brain that regulates movement within the body, which is what causes the characteristic trembling and twitching of Parkinson’s patients.
Around 1 in 500 people have the disease in some form or another, with people typically developing symptoms in their 50s. Today, some 127,000 people in the UK have Parkinson’s.
The three main symptoms of Parkinson’s are:
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Constant and involuntary trembling or shaking in the limbs
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Stiff muscles
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Difficulty with movement and loss of motor functions
There still isn’t a cure for this condition. Nevertheless, there are many ways in which it can be treated. In addition, assistance can be provided to ensure that Parkinson’s patients can continue to enjoy rich, full lives despite their condition.
Home care help for people with Parkinson’s
Due to its nature, Parkinson’s will often get progressively worse as time goes on. This may make it difficult to carry out even basic day to day activities. While treatment can help, not everyone will respond well to it.
With this comes a loss of independence, and a loss of ability to care for oneself. In the absence of some external help, this can pose a severe risk.
For example, a person with Parkinson’s could find it very difficult to wash and dress themselves. This decline in personal hygiene may eventually cause additional problems with the patient’s health, and a further decline in their standard of living.
Parkinson’s is seldom the direct cause of death for any individual. Rather, it causes other problems that eventually prove fatal.
At SuperCarers, we are able to help people with Parkinson’s disease to find a care provider to meet their personal needs. Whether it’s just a little extra help with tasks that have now become too difficult to manage solo, to more involved care work, a care provider greatly improves the quality of life of any person living with Parkinson’s.
Most importantly, care providers can provide structure and support and be on hand to restore normality or routine which can reassure and keep people on track, as well as assisting in recovery.
Other resources
Decades of study and research have given a plethora of resources that help people cope with Parkinson’s every day. These sources include:
