Patient/caregiver was educated on lifestyle modifications for individuals with Parkinson’s Disease as follows:
- Rigidity and difficulty to initiate movements can often delay the Parkinson’s patient reaching the restroom and consequently, increase risk for incontinence. Wearing disposable adult diapers can help prevent embarrassing situations. Waiting for a few minutes after an act of voiding and trying to void again can help better emptying of the bladder and thereby, prolong the duration for the next restroom trip. This measure can help save energy and prevent fatigue in Parkinson’s patients.
- Driving promotes an individual’s personal freedom, control, and independence. Rigidity, sudden onset of episodes of freezing, and tremors in Parkinson’s patients can impair their ability for safe driving and increase risk for accidents. Slowed thought process in Parkinson’s patients can impair their ability to react quickly to road hazards, thus impairing quick application of brakes, timely turning of wheel, and slamming on the gas pedal as needed. Also, medications used to treat Parkinson’s disease can induce side-effects such as, dizziness, blurred vision, and confusion. All these factors contribute to compromised safety of the Parkinson’s individual, other passengers in the vehicle, and the general public traveling on the road. So, limiting driving and seeking caregiver assistance for rides or depending on public transport could be safer options for Parkinson’s patients.
- Stiffness and rigidity of muscles involving the face and jaw in Parkinson’s patients could progressively lead to difficulties with chewing and safe swallowing. Ability to chew is the major stimulus for saliva production. Difficulty with chewing in Parkinson’s patients can lead to reduced saliva production and consequently result in dry mouth, which can make the swallowing even more difficult. Impaired safe swallowing function can lead to severe complications such as, choking and aspiration pneumonia. Parkinson’s patients with difficulty chewing must seek speech therapy consult for recommendations on safe swallow. Do not rush while eating. Caregivers should provide frequent reminders and encouragement regarding allowing enough time to eat and not rushing through the process, which can contribute to reduced risk of choking and complications. Using smaller size spoons can reduce the volume of food taken in at a time, which can help prevent choking. Caregivers helping to cut the meat into smaller pieces before the patient starts to eat can help reduce the effort for the patient and promote the ease.
