PARKINSON’S
April is Parkinson’s Awareness month. It’s estimated that 7 to 10 million people worldwide are living with this progressive and degenerative disease. Although there are some common symptoms, PD affects each person in a unique and different manner.
I wrote a guest article for Ecaring, Griswold Home Care’s blog about three difficult challenges frequently experienced by individuals who are caring for a loved one with Parkinson’s. These challenges are:
Communication Challenges
Cognitive Changes
Obsessive Behavior
In the article I describe how these issues affect the person with PD and provide a list of suggestions to help the caregiver cope and maintain his/her emotional balance.
If you don’t have the time to read the entire article, I hope you’ll remember that caring for anyone who has a progressive and degenerative disease will test your love, faith and humor on a daily basis. Understand that this is a difficult journey, and that perfection is impossible. Aim to do the best you can. If you have a day when you are not as patient, kind or as saintly as you wish you could be, remember you’re only human and cut yourself a little slack.
Maintaining Emotional Balance: The Elderly, Parkinson’s Disease & Home Care