My nan is 86 and is suffering from Parkinson's Disease. The Parkinson's doesn't seem to be under control at the moment, but she has to wait until the end of April until the specialist can adjust her medication (she was taking another medication which reacted badly with her Parkinson's medication and she has to wait 3 months for this medication to get out of her system). my nan goes through periods when she is very down, she can't cope with talking or noise, her mobility is worse, she dribbles and finds it hard to swallow etc. She is a very anxious person and is also suffering from depression (for which she has just had her medication upped). are these symptoms that she is suffering due to the Parkinson's or is it another cause? We are only a small family but we are finding it very hard to know what to say to nan when she is going through this periods, and we don't know how to make her feel better, as she feels very negative about everything, and everything we try doesn't seem to help. She has these periods for around 90 minutes and they seen to coincide with her needing to take her next dose of medication.
Is this normal for Parkinson's? I just want to be there for my nan, but I don't know how to cope with it?
Thank for you for answers, xx
You are lovely, wanting to be there for your Nan. when I was nursing my Husband with the disease, my Family left me to it, 10 years I managed, but when his legs failed, I am afraid he had to go into care. Depression is part of the disease, but, when your Nan can get on to the right medication, she will be much better, try to keep her comfortable and quiet, the noise seems to make matters worse. I always saw to it that my bill was smartly dressed, and took him out in the car every day, we would sit by the river in Worcester UK, the wheelchair opened many doors to us. Lots of hugs and kisses, and assurance was, I felt, very important. my heart goes out to you and your Nan, life is very empty for me now that bill has passed away, but, I gave him all that I could when I had him with me. God Bless x
My Grandfather had Parkinson's he was a music teacher and pianist so of course this did affect him
dribbling from the mouth is normal in Parkinson's and of course depression as the person does know that it is affecting her
I know its terrible to see you Nan like this but all you can do is Support her and just give her your love
I don't know what medication they use these days as in my grandfathers day there was not much around as it was over 50 yrs ago
but is very sad to see them like this
all the best for you and you Nan
Peaches, depression is fairly common in people who have Parkinson's Disease, hopefully your Nan's mood will lift once the medications to treat her Parkinson's are adjusted. Stay in contact with her doctors, there are other causes of depression and so it is important that her doctors know if her mood improves or does not improve once the medications are adjusted.
My heart goes out to you and your family as you try to figure out how to cope with your Nan's negativity and depression. her doctors or other health care providers might be able to give you all some tips about how to cope. one bit of advice I have, which is not easy to do, is to try not to take your Nan's anxiety and negativity personally. It is hard when it doesn't seem like anything you do helps her, but try to remember that just being there does help, whether your Nan can tell you that or not. Maybe it might help if you just keep her company and listen to her when she is feeling anxious, she may not need you to do anything but keep quiet company with her. She may not even know what will make her feel better right now. She may need quiet at some times, and at other times it might help to ask if she'd like to talk, listen to music, watch a tv show, play a game, or other activity that she enjoys.
My father in law has Parkinson's Disease. his doctor and some of our local groups (here in the U.S.)have provided our family with support as we learn to care for him. has your family been in contact with the Parkinson's Disease Society? This U.K. Charity has workers that can meet with your family to help you learn about Parkinson's and support you as you care for your Nan. Here is their U.K. website:
Parkinson's Disease Society
U.K.
parkinsons.org.uk/