Please share an interesting fact about living with parkinson's disease.

Ignore: Keep the body moving, and the mind engaged. Any exercise to stretch is great!

Meals: Meals containing > 30% protein content reduce effectiveness of carbidopa/levodopa medication.

Ignore: The benefits of exercise with regard to gait and range of motion in people with parkinson’s disease.

Levodopa: Levodopa pills taken by mouth are less well absorbed if ingested with meals containing >30% protein.

Ignore: Keep moving, stretching and balance exercises. Take your medication and optimize all your functions.

Ignore: Some environmental factors may be associated with a risk of Parkinson's including pesticides.

Ignore: Patients not responsive to meds can be sometimes successfully treated with deep brain stimulation.

It: It is important to develop and maintain a solid PD management plan.

Those: Those who take an active role in their care see an improvement in their Parkinson’s symptoms.

People: People with Parkinson’s are best served by a multi-disciplinary approach .

Some: Some pt's may require medical consultants in areas such as psychiatry and neurosurgery.

Treatment: Treatment of Parkinson’s should focus not just on the disease but also on the patient’s needs.

Treatment: Treatment of Parkinson’s should focus not just on the disease but also on the patient’s preferences.

A: A team approach can foster holistic care, drawing on the strengths of individual team members.

A: A comprehensive care approach goes beyond treating the movement and non-movement related symptoms.

Members: Members of a PD treatment team concentrate on all aspects of the patient’s needs.

Counseling,: Counseling, education and support are important functions of Treating PD.

Comprehensive: Comprehensive care is enhanced when the patient takes an active role in his or her care.

A: A combination of individual initiative and group concern can strengthen hope.

Treatment: Treatment should address issues related to loss and life changes.

The: The structure and orientation of a comprehensive care team may vary depending on available resources.

Treatment: Treatment members may need to be changed as the disease progresses.

Success: Success of treatment focused on living well with PD is active participation by the Patient!

Family: Family and loved ones, are the most critical members of the PD treatment team.

Team: Team members may include physician assistants, nurses, social workers, and multiple therapists.

Creative: Creative therapists in art, music and recreation also play an important role in treatment.

Spiritual: Spiritual counselors, psychologists or neuropsychologists may help with treatment.

A: A patient’s social network and community can provide additional resources to support the Tx team.

Communities: Communities may offer support groups, exercise groups or senior centers that could be part of the tx.

A: A patient and his or her family can assemble their own treatment team.

It: It may help to prioritize concerns and begin with a specialist who addresses those issues.

Most: Most clinicians are an important resource for counseling, education and long-term management.

Social: Social workers and counselors focus on the psychosocial and behavioral aspects of disease.

Speech: Speech and swallowing pathologists can help the patient with voice problems.

Occupational: Occupational therapists help a person with Parkinson’s manage chores at home, at work or community.

Phys: Phys Ther. address issues such as strength, endurance, movement, flexibility, gait, balance, & falls.

Tx: Tx can help with everyday activities such as getting in and out of chairs, beds and cars.

A: A speech therapist manages all aspects of communication, including nonverbal communication.

Lee: Lee Silverman technique, is a form of speech therapy designed specifically for PD patients.

Swallowing: Swallowing problems can occur, especially in advanced disease.

A: A swallowing specialist can evaluate and treat swallowing issues/problems.

Dieticians: Dieticians can help with unwanted weight loss or weight gain, constipation, vitamin deficiencies,etc.

Dieticians: Dieticians can recommend dietary changes to reduce swallowing problems.

A: A neuropsychologist evaluates cognitive skills by employing tests to identify strengths and weakness.

Psychologist: Psychologist can treat based on enhancing cognitive strengths and working with weaknesses.

Recreational: Recreational therapy can also help a person enhance his or her hobbies and improve quality of life.

Spiritual: Spiritual and community leaders who are available through community programs are often overlooked.

Individuals: Individuals in all stages of Parkinson’s disease will benefit from a comprehensive evaluation.

Earlier,: Earlier, focus is not on movement problems and disability as it is on maintaining health & wellness.

Early: Early stages is when patient-centered self-management can be introduced, not just late stages.

Management: Management is about hope, setting goals and establishing control.

Awareness: Awareness and education are critical to self management.

Education: Education includes active participation by teaching action-oriented problem-solving techniques.

After: After several years of living with Parkinson’s, challenges to quality of life may increase.

Movement,: Movement, mood, communication and socialization may worsen in advanced stages.

Late: Late stages may need to include a specialist in gait and balance therapy, and fall prevention.

In: In late stages Therapists in speech and communication may be needed.

Experts/therapists: Experts/therapists in swallowing may be needed in late stage disease.

A: A “complete-care” approach can include a reassessment of hobbies and recreational activities.

A: A “complete-care” approach may include adaptation to changing roles in one’s life and family.

In: In later stages, the focus turns to managing the condition & optimizing the quality of life.

Late: Late stage Tx may include bed and seating comfort, and transfers to and from furniture.

In: In late stage, you will want to explore and implement palliative and comfort care measures.

Emotional: Emotional and social support issues will become especially important in late stage Disease.

Assembling: Assembling a complete team of PD professionals will help you achieve the greatest poss quality life.

Keeping: Keeping track of your medications and taking them correctly can make a noticeable difference.

Working: Working with one pharmacist for all prescriptions can help people with Parkinson’s.

Timing: Timing devices can be crucial in helping you to avoid missed doses of your different medications.

Pill: Pill dispensers can help you to organize pills.

No: No medications actually reverse the effects of the disease.

It: It is common for people with PD to take a variety of medications.

Understanding: Understanding your medications and sticking to a schedule will provide the greatest benefit.

Deep: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) was developed in the 1990s and is now a standard treatment.

During: During deep brain stimulation surgery,electrodes are inserted into the targeted brain area using MRI.

In: In DBS, a device called an impulse generator or IPG is implanted under the collarbone.

An: An Impulse Generator can provide an electrical impulse to a part of the brain involved in motor Fx.

Not: Not everyone with Parkinson's has dementia, so talk normally to them. They will understand.

It's: It's okay to know that people with Parkinson may have tremors and need assistance with feeding.

Some: Some people with Parkinsons also has dementia, and need coaching to do things right.

Patients: Patients with Parkinsons may need assistance just to get up from bed or a chair.

Patients: Patients with Parkinson's may find walking difficult if the sidewalk is uneven, or at a beach.

Sometimes: Sometimes patients with Parkinson's look expressionless because of it's effects on facial muscles.

Dopamine: Dopamine tends to help reduce the symptoms of parkinsonism.

Sometimes: Sometimes patients with Parkinson's Disease are also clinically depressed about their condition.

Ignore: GREATER THE AMOUNT OF EXERCISE AND ACTIVITY, THE LESS INTENSE SYMPTOMS BECOME.

As: As PD advances, blood pressure may drop a lot when standing, even though BP can be high lying down.

Ignore: Keeping moving with exercise, yoga or tai chi is very important for good health.

Ignore: All PTS get swallow problems in late disease.watch for aspiration of food. Missing a pill is a kill.

Ignore: Medical management with a team approcah to physical and occupational therapy. Parkinson support .

Ignore: May benefit from weighted hand cuffs,forks, spoon and knifes.

Regular: Regular exercise and staying active may help with your symptoms.

Ignore: Daytime drooling is a sign of swallowing dysfunction in PD & increases the risk of silent aspiration.

Ignore: Sinemet (carbidopa and levodopa) CR 3 times a day with food, exercise , vitaminE,avoid panic and anxiety,treat depression.

Ignore: There's a correlation between Parkinson's and depression. Dopamine is also associated with mood!

Treating: Treating patients with Parkinson's disease costs the U.S. around $25 billion a year.