For those who care for someone with Parkinson's disease
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| My wife and I have been caregivers for my 86yo mother that has Parkinson’s with Dementia. I am sure that my mom is not much different than any other person with PD, but she makes me scratch my head nearly every day trying to figure out why she does what she does. She was a school teacher and very intelligent, doing the NY Times crossword every day until about 4 years ago. Her disease progressed in reverse, according to her Neurologist. She began with a shuffling gait and starting to show signs of memory loss about 4 years ago. She has yet to have any tremors. Her biggest difficulty is in mobility, and she shows signs of confusing “behind” and “beside”, and generally poor judgment of distance. She seems to have urge incontinence, so we take her to the restroom every two hours or so. She has difficulty getting food to her mouth without dropping, and that is with zero hand tremors. I have notice with any kind of sandwich she starts by taking a bite from the middle, rather than either end. Anyhow, I just wanted to hear from other caregivers and see if our experiences are typical. Any advice will be appreciated! |
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Hello, You've found a place where there is a lot of support, information, and room to vent. Welcome. I'm VV, wife to my PWP who was diagnosed age 62 and is now 83. (In shorthand dx62n83). I'm responding quickly, because I only logged on to procrastinate (so thanks for that). Your mother's PD doesn't sound all that unusual to me. But I have no idea what the neurologist means by saying "in reverse." PD presents differently in different people, and not everyone has tremors. Is this doc a Movement Disorders Specialist? That's a neurologist who specializes in PD and similar disorders, and has the specialized and up-to-date knowledge about PD needed to best manage/medicate. Community neurologists are generalists who are able to diagnose PD but not to manage it. One thing you may be seeing is the disruption of spatial awareness that is common in PD. Remember that PD is a disorder of brain function, feedback, mobility etc. It is not a muscle disease. Please look at the Books section on this site. The first book, by a Dr. Ahlskog, is a primary resource for patients and caregivers - complete, informative, accessible. Read through the many past postings from all of us and you may have a better sense of things. VV |