Tips to Care for a Loved One with Parkinson’s Disease

What comes next? What do I do? How can I help my senior loved one? These are only a few of the questions that you might be asking yourself if you have just learned that your senior loved one has Parkinson’s Disease. 

If your loved one has just received a diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease, you are probably facing many uncertainties right now. This that can be a frightening time, but the last thing you want to do is give up or lose hope. This is simply a time to grow and adjust

While there is currently no cure for PD, there are still several steps you can take to make sure you are providing the best care possible for your senior.

Learn all you can about Parkinson’s Disease

Arm yourself with knowledge. Learn all about Parkinson’s, from symptoms, to studies, to helpful advice from caregivers. Take time to learn everything you need to know about Parkinson’s Disease and how it will begin to change your senior as it progresses through it’s various stages. 

It doesn’t hurt to educate your family and friends about these changes, too. This way, they can lend their assistance effectively when you are in need of it and understand the level of assistance you may need. Plus, if they are armed with information about PD, they will be able to call on this information if there’s ever a time in their life when they need it too.

Equipping yourself with knowledge about PD is one of the best things you can do to get started!

Take Time and Practice Patience

With all of these new changes your senior is going to begin experiencing, you will likely find that they are going to need more time to accomplish once-easy tasks. Things like eating a meal, getting dressed, going to the bathroom, etc. will take them much more time for them than it did in the past.

When this happens, we encourage you to have patience and be kind. Remember that this is most likely a frustrating and trying time for them as well. This trying time calls for kindness and support, not belittling, impatience, or anger.

If you are ever worried about a time crunch, just make sure you are planning for the extra time needed.

Support Your Senior Loved One with Parkinson’s

Like we said, this trying time calls for kindness and support for your loved one with Parkinson’s. 

Let your senior loved one know how much you care about them by showing them that you support them. 

One great way you can show your support is by staying active with them. Parkinson’s Disease will begin to affect your senior’s body and movements, so exercising is a great way to help them maintain their health and improve different areas of their body.

Stay active with them as much as you can, and focus on activities that will maintain or improve their balance, strength, flexibility, and coordination. Activities such as dancing, walking to a beat, or swimming are all great ways to get started! 

Find time to exercise or do other fun activities with your loved one, so they can feel supported.

Know That You Have Resources When it Comes to Parkinson’s Care

One great thing about the senior care community is that it’s larger than you think. There are several resources available to you, all you need to do is search for them.

You may currently be, or want to become the primary caregiver for your senior loved one. This is a fine option as long as you are ready for the job, because becoming a primary caregiver involves taking care of more than one person. 

Of course, your senior loved one is your priority, but it is also very important to take care of yourself as well. If you are not taking care of yourself, it is harder to be there for your loved one in need. 

You can avoid experiencing caregiver burnout by taking time away to recharge whenever you need it. Don’t be afraid to ask for help every once in a while, because self-care is beneficial for you and your senior.

Taking care of your senior loved one with Parkinson’s Disease is sure to present new challenges for you and the whole family. If you need help coping with these challenges, Home Care Assistance of Dayton is here for you. We want you to know you are not alone. 

Please feel free to reach out to our friendly caregivers and schedule a consultation with them today. 

For more information or any questions you might have, don’t hesitate to reach out to Home Care Assistance (937) 353-7997

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