Parkinson’s Care, Caregiver | Parkinson’s care when you need it, in the safety and comfort of your home
Parkinson’s disease affects more than 1 million Americans and significantly impacts families helping their loved ones manage the neurodegenerative disorder. After the shock of the diagnosis wears off, families begin the long and difficult task of caring for someone with a progressively debilitating condition.
At FCP Live-In, we understand the physical struggles individuals with Parkinson’s disease face each day and the anguish family members have watching their loved one’s condition worsen over time. Our compassionate in-home caregivers are professionally trained to help people with the disease live better lives while providing support to family members.
Through our Parkinson’s Disease care services, our highly skilled in-home caregivers help individuals live securely and independently in their home. We offer a variety of services include:
Personal Care:
- Assist with bathing, showering, grooming, dressing
- Assist with toileting
- Help with mobility issues
- Safely transfer clients to and from beds and other locations
- Medication reminders
- Provide feeding assistance
Light Housekeeping:
- Preparing nutritious meals
- Changing and making beds
- Cleaning kitchen and bathrooms
- Light dusting, vacuuming, sweeping
- Grocery shopping
- Laundry
- Run errands
Companion Services:
- Providing transportation to medical appointments
- Helping with exercise as directed by a physician
- Engaging client in meaningful conversation
- Providing much needed companionship to client
For more than two decades, FCP Live-In’s services have helped seniors with chronic medical conditions maintain a quality of life in familiar surroundings. If you or your loved one need in-home Parkinson’s Disease Care services, contact FCP Live-In today. Call us at 1-866-559-9492.
Parkinson’s Disease and Its Symptoms
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive nervous disorder that affects the nerve cells in the brain responsible for controlling body movement. There is no cure for Parkinson’s but medications help in treating the disease.
Most people develop Parkinson’s disease around the age of 60 while about 5 to 10 percent develop early onset Parkinson’s disease before the age of 50.
Although there is no one definitive cause for Parkinson’s, medical experts believe genetics, such as mutated genes, and exposure to chemicals, pesticides, and toxins, may be contributing factors to the disease.
According to the Hoehn and Yahr system, which describes how the symptoms progress, Parkinson’s disease has five stages:
- Stage I: Symptoms are mild and only on one side of the body.
- Stage II: Still considered early disease, symptoms are on both sides of the body.
- Stage III: Considered mid-stage. Loss of balance and slowness of movement begins.
- Stage IV: Disease becomes severely disabling. Patients need help walking and other symptoms become severe.
- Stage V: Disease becomes more advanced and individuals are confined to a bed or wheelchair.
Early signs of Parkinson’s disease, such as shaky hands, can go unnoticed because they can easily be mistaken for common signs of aging.
Although people with Parkinson’s may experience different symptoms, some symptoms are common to everyone diagnosed with the disease. These symptoms include:
- Tremors or shaking
- Bradykinesis (slowed movement)
- Rigid muscles
- Poor balance and coordination
- Speech difficulties
People with Parkinson’s also experience symptoms that are not related to their motor skills, such as:
- Difficulty sleeping
- Fatigue
- Increase in dandruff (seborrhea dermatitis)
- Oily skin
- Urinary problems
- Vision problems
- Weight loss
Parkinson’s disease can also bring on mood disorders and cause anxiety, depression, irritability, and other disorders that can cause personality changes.
People in the early stages of Parkinson’s disease can usually manage their daily living activities and remain independent. However, as the disease progresses, individuals have difficulty moving around safely, which places them at risk for falling.
Family caregivers may help in the early stages of the disease, but as the condition worsens, their loved ones may need to have help getting up from chairs and walking or standing on their own.
FCP Live-In’s in-home caregivers are trained and equipped to help men and women at any stage of Parkinson’s disease.
Parkinson’s Disease Leads To Other Challenges
Studies have found that individuals with Parkinson’s disease can live as long as people who do not have the disease. However, Parkinson’s places individuals at risk for other health challenges.
For instance, impaired walking can cause falls which can result in serious, if not fatal, injuries. According to a report in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, studies show that between 45 percent to 68 percent of people with Parkinson’s disease fall each year. Within that group, 50 percent to 86 percent fall repeatedly. The falls, unfortunately, can lead to broken bones, hip fractures, and other serious conditions.
People living with the disease are also at risk of Parkinson’s disease dementia, which causes a decline in thinking and reasoning abilities that can develop at least one year after receiving a diagnosis of Parkinson’s. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, the brain changes caused by Parkinson’s can spread and affect mental functions.
Studies also show that the older the person with Parkinson’s, the greater risk that person faces for developing more physical challenges.
Thousands Diagnosed With Parkinson’s Each Year
Around 60,000 people in the United State are diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease each year, while more than 10 million people are diagnosed worldwide, according to the Parkinson’s Foundation.
An estimated 4 percent of people are diagnosed with the disease before they turn 50. What’s more, men are 1.5 times more likely to have Parkinson’s disease than women.
The foundation also estimates that between 15 and 25 percent of people with Parkinson’s also have a relative with the disease, which supports studies that suggest genetics play a role in causing Parkinson’s disease.
Avoiding Personal Lifestyle Changes With In-Home Care
Family members are usually the first ones to provide care for a loved one with Parkinson’s disease. However, caregiving becomes more challenging as the condition progresses. At some point, family members may decide whether to place their loved one in a long-term care facility to receive round-the-clock care.
At FCP Live-In, our in-home caregivers perform the same type of care provided by staff at assistant living facilities and nursing homes. With in-home care, people with Parkinson’s disease can avoid uprooting their lives and moving to an unfamiliar place to live alone. Seniors can remain in their familiar surroundings as our highly trained caregivers help them manage daily living activities.
Unlike a nursing home or assistant living facility, we do not constantly rotate our caregivers. Having consistent caregivers help our clients and their families develop a long-term trusting relationship with our caregivers. Because we know our clients well, our in-home caregivers can detect physical and behavioral changes as Parkinson’s disease progresses.
What’s more, FCP Live-In offers personalized care at a cost that is more affordable than an assistant living facility or nursing home.
About FCP Live-In And Our Parkinson’s Disease Services
We have provided the ultimate solution for assisted Parkinson’s Disease Services since 1997. Our live-in Parkinson’s Disease services agency is committed to providing a unique and customized In-Home Parkinson’s Disease services approach to senior care with the goal of a lifestyle that provides enjoyment for the one in care, and families with peace of mind.
FCP Live-In is a Live-In Home Care company with over two decades of experience specializing in elderly care needs within the home. Our live-in caregiver staff provides an insurance policy of safe and supportive care, along with a 24-hour professional support system that starts with our direct care staff in the home and expands out to a multi-faceted corporate structure that is there for the client and the Live-in Caregiver at all times.
For more information about our Parkinson’s Disease services, contact FCP Live-In today at 1-866-559-9492 or please fill out the form below.
Source Links:
https://www.rightathome.net/special-care-situations/parkinsons-disease
https://www.familyassets.com/parkinsons-disease
https://www.webmd.com/parkinsons-disease/guide/nursing-home-care#1
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/parkinsons-disease
https://www.parkinson.org/Living-with-Parkinsons/For-Caregivers/Outside-Help/When-Is-it-Time-to-Get-Help