CareTeam Spotlight on Parkinson’s Disease
| Category: News Uncategorized
April is National Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Month. According to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation, one million Americans are living with Parkinson’s Disease. CareTeam can be a great benefit to helping these patients with daily routines, meal prep, fall risk reduction, and medication reminders. Read more for some ways that CareTeam can specifically help people with Parkinson’s Disease.
Activities of Daily Living. Because of Parkinson’s patients’ muscle condition, basic ADLs such as bathing, grooming, and dressing can be very difficult. This condition often limits fluid movement and makes it difficult for patients to complete ADLs without assistance. Functional limitations may be overcome by a caregiver helping the patient complete their ADLs.
Meals & Feeding Assistance. Diet is important for successfully managing the Parkinson’s Disease progress. The patient may not have the motor skills to be able to prepare a meal and will rely on a caregiver. Often the patient’s tremors interfere with their ability to feed themselves. Having a caregiver is a good solution for someone who needs help with meal preparation and feeding. Caregivers can also help with preparing adjusted menus that make meal time easier for the patient, such as blended or softened foods.
Motivational Exercise – Home exercise programs for Parkinson’s patients focus on maintaining a suitable range of motion and improving mobility, flexibility, and balance. Patients are often more likely to complete their home exercise with the encouragement of a CareTeam caregiver.
Plan of Care Compliance – Caregivers are critical in helping a client stay on track and reminding them of the daily tasks required to manage their heart disease. Our job it to implement the plan prescribed by medical professionals.
Transportation – A patient with Parkinson’s disease is often unable to drive safely. They may also need assistance when attending medical appointments or on other errands due to their balance issues. Caregivers can provide this transportation and assistance.
Home Safety & Supervision – Patients with Parkinson’s disease are often at a risk of falling. Due to mobility issues, they are unbalanced and may have trouble protecting themselves if they fall. Another common challenge is that once a patient starts any movement, such as walking, they may not be able to stop until they run into an object. Caregivers can verbally or physically aid the patient while navigating inside or outside.
Medication Reminders – Our caregivers can verbally remind a patient to take their medication, which affects the quality of movement and can be critically important for being able to complete activities.
We often hear from families of individuals with Parkinson’s disease that they feel that their loved one has to move to a specialized care facility to manage the disease process. But they don’t have to! Think of CareTeam as a transition. Even if the family would like the Parkinson’s patient to be relocated to a special facility, our caregivers can supervise the patient in the mean time while the family tours facilities, or we can be a temporary solution while the family makes a decision about what the best next step is for their loved one. Often families see that keeping the patient home is most comfortable for them, and CareTeam caregivers can provide the needed assistance at home – with a more one-on-one approach than they would receive in a facility!
We also hear stories of spouses who have become great caregivers, but even they need help at times. Having a CareTeam caregiver just for a short time in the morning to help the Parkinson’s patient get up, dressed, and prepare breakfast reduces the burden and provides much needed assistance during that strenuous time of day.
Do you know of someone with Parkinson’s Disease who could use some extra help, or whose family could use a temporary rest from caregiving? We would love to help out! There is no contract, no commitment. We can come over as much or as little as you need us. Give us a call 24/7 to talk with one of our Care Managers. (940) 723-5273