Caregiving Tips for Parkinson's Disease

Dr Kapil Agarwal, Senior Consultant & HOD Department of Neurology at W Pratiksha Hospital in Gurgaon, discusses some salient issues about Parkinson’s Disease and how one can tackle it best. Symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease Following symptoms may indicate that patient may be suffering from Parkinson's disease: Tremors of hands, head, body, etc. Slowing of movements in routine activities like walking, eating, dressing, bathing, etc. Reduction of facial expressions- decreased blinking of eyes…

Shaila Bhagwat, 67 has Parkinson's which affects her right-side. She makes every effort to remain independent and self-reliant with an assorted and strict regimen of exercises, yoga, meditation, laughter and music therapy, gait training, handwriting practice, knowledge building, among other resolutions. Four years ago, I had a tendon tear in the right shoulder and had a suture anchor inserted. It took me 2 months to recover from my surgery with the help of physiotherapy. But unfortunately, as…

Sometimes willpower can knock out even health adversities. As in the case of 72-year-old Rajendra M Thakkar, retired General Manager of Reserve Bank of India, who straightened out his speech impairment, a symptom of Parkinson’s, through sheer grit and diligent exercises. When my Parkinson’s set in a few years back, I was in the midst of cardiological issues and bypass surgery, and didn’t pay much attention to the mild trembling of my hands and legs. But when my speech started getting affected…

Mr Hari Prasad, who underwent the Deep Brain Stimulation operation about 3 years back to stall growing symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease, is a happy and relaxed person today, sharing his views on PD and DBS. Hari, how many years has it been since you had the DBS operation? Exactly three years. (Operation done end of March 2015) Read how Hari stopped popping pills for Parkinson's Disease every 2 hours  Has it been smooth for you since you had the operation? More or less. There has been no…

Talking and writing about health related experiences is still not common in Asia.  This International Women’s Day, we reach out to three dynamic women who share their experience as patient or caregiver to understand their motivations. We kick off the first in a three-part series with Sangeeta Murthi Sahgal.  1)    Your father had Parkinson's Disease. Why did you choose to talk and share about your father's condition? When I took over my father's care-giving, I researched the…

Raju PK,60 from Ernakulam, Kerala deals with Parkinson’s Disease in his own way, sticking to proper medication and exercises. He shares his hacks and tips to facilitate movement in the house. Please tell us a bit about your condition. I am suffering from Parkinson’s disease. I was diagnosed in the year 2009. What were the early symptoms? Sometimes while walking, my left hand remained static, and sometimes while operating the laptop, my fingers would shiver. Is there a history of Parkinson’s…

Dance and Movement Therapy can effectively complement traditional exercise to improve motor, psychological, cognitive and social abilities of people with Parkinson’s. Tejali Kunte, Clinical Psychologist, Dance and Movement therapist at Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorder Society (PDMDS) delves into its numerous advantages. Tejali, you are a dance and movement therapist and a clinical psychologist. Could you tell us a little bit about your work? Yes, I am a dance performer, clinical…

Debabrata Roy, 49 is affected with early Parkinson’s disease which has turned his life and world upside down. He talks about the inevitability of the progression of this dreaded ailment. When were you diagnosed? Two years back, I was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. About six or seven years back when I had a gall bladder operation, I noticed the symptoms back then, but nobody really took it seriously.  Now it has become pronounced. What were the early symptoms of Parkinson's Disease?…

A quick snapshot on how music is helpful for persons with Parkinson's Disease. And of course, it is enjoyable. Haven’t we all enjoyed some form of music in our lives? We may all have different tastes in the types of music, but we do enjoy it.  Music can be beneficial for us in the following ways : When we sing we use the same muscles that we use when we are speaking. Thus singing regularly helps us develop clarity in speech and a good pitch, thus making it easier for people to…

Practical Tips on how to handle Dehydration among people with Parkinson's. And 6 Healthy Eating Tips. DEHYDRATION Dehydration, or loss of balance of bodily fluids, is a problem commonly faced by PwPs, but is often mistaken for other symptoms of the disease, because it tends to cause dizziness, weakness, constipation etc.” Dehydration is common amongst PwPs, due to the following reasons: Due to specific symptoms of PD, such as urinary frequency, swallowing difficulties, slowness & rigidity…