Helpful Tips For Everyday Life With Parkinson's

Parkinson's Disease: Helpful Tips

Parkinson's disease can cause many different symptoms and poses great challenges not only to those affected, but also to close relatives. A few simple measures can make it easier for those affected and their families, especially their partners, to cope with everyday life and help improve the quality of life.

Getting diagnosed with Parkinson's changes everyday life. In the early stages, the disease has relatively little impact on daily life. Worries, fears and uncertainties about the future often accompany those affected and their relatives. It is recommended that you seek assistance and take precautions in this regard.

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Tips for those affected

Everyday & social life

Do not withdraw from your environment - not just for your own sake. When you withdraw from society, you also take your immediate relatives with you into loneliness and isolation. From the beginning, seek an exchange with other affected persons. You will find that you are not alone in your situation. This will help find a way to deal with the condition. Relatives and friends should be involved from the start.

Don't be afraid to ask for help if you need assistance with everyday things. You can learn to adapt everyday activities to your own possibilities again and again. There are also various aids that can make everyday life easier, such as special cutlery, buttoning aids, gripping and writing aids, etc. Redesign your home according to your needs, for example:

• Rearrange the closets to better reach often used things,
• use a serving trolley instead of carrying plates and glasses,
• get a special stool to sit on while cooking,
• remove carpets so as not to trip over them, etc.

With some help, it can be possible to lead an independent life for years to come.

Stay active

Stay active and try to get on with your routine as independently as possible. This also includes exercise and sport: stay as active as possible. This not only helps to improve the movement restrictions, but is also good for the psyche. Find out which sport you enjoy most; targeted physiotherapy can also help. More on the topic: Popular sports

Working life

In order to be able to stay longer in professional life, a change to a less stressful job within the company may be considered. Discuss it with your supervisor. Avoid leaving it to others to inform the public about your illness.

Drive

Only drive your car for as long as you can safely drive it. However, a subjective assessment is often not entirely reliable. Therefore, ask your partner or your children for their assessment. You should never be a danger to yourself or to other people. Some medications can further reduce the fitness to drive.

There is no general procedure for assessing the fitness to drive of Parkinson's sufferers by a medical officer. For an objective assessment of the fitness to drive, own tests can be carried out, e.g. an investigation by the Kuratorium für Verkehrssicherheit. The doctor can work with you to assess whether you are able to drive a vehicle safely and to compensate for your own mistakes, as well as those of other road users.

Diet & Drink

There is no separate “Parkinson's diet”. The general principles of a balanced diet essentially apply. Symptoms of illness such as tremors, slow movement or difficulty swallowing can make eating strenuous, and appetite is often reduced. At the same time, however, some Parkinson's patients gain weight if they are less active than before due to physical complaints or a depressed mood.

It is advisable to consume several smaller servings of high-quality food more often a day. This also relieves the digestion. In any case, an empty stomach should be avoided as this can lead to nausea.

When taking medication, please note: Dopa preparations should not be taken at the same time as protein (milk and dairy products, meat, etc.) and vitamin B, because less L-dopa is absorbed into the bloodstream. L-Dopa should therefore be taken at least one hour before or after eating, if possible.

Sluggishness of the bowels is a common side effect of Parkinson's disease. Possible causes include decreased and slowed down body movement, insufficient fluid intake, low-fiber diet and, in some cases, Parkinson's medication. To relieve constipation, you should ensure that you have adequate fiber intake, e.g. consume a spoonful of flaxseed in a fruit yogurt every day. As much exercise as possible in the fresh air is also helpful. More on the topic: carbohydrates & fiber

In general, a fluid volume of 1.5 to two liters per day is recommended. For Parkinson's sufferers this is the absolute minimum. You should drink up to three liters a day, if possible, but not while eating, as this leads to a dilution of the digestive juices.

Tips for relatives

• Find out about the disease, the symptoms and the possible course for yourself.
• Do not be afraid to seek help (also psychological) in good time.
• Learn a sensible management with your own resources in good time and avoid overburdening yourself to the point of "burnout".
• Continue to pursue your own interests - without a guilty conscience.

• Do not patronize or spare the person concerned:

  • Let them make their own decisions.
  • Do not do any work for him / her unless he / she specifically requests you to.
  • Patiently allow him / her the time it takes to do an activity or formulate a thought.
  • Parkinson's sufferers should pursue their usual activities, exercise in moderation, travel, maintain contacts and hobbies, etc. It is only important to avoid overexertion. You should therefore plan enough time in advance for breaks during joint activities.

Parkinson's Self-Help Austria offers valuable information and support for Parkinson's sufferers and their relatives.

More on the topic: Relieve & support caring relatives.