Parkinson Home Care in Solihull, Birmingham

Parkinson's Disease

At Dove Home Care over the last 2 decades we have been helping people suffering with Parkinson’s disease along with its three symptoms;

Parkinson’s disease tremor

A tremor is an uncontrollable movement that affects part of the body, for example in the hand. A tremor (shaking) is one of the main symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, alongside slow movement and rigidity (stiffness). Resting tremor is the most common symptom of Parkinson’s disease, this affects almost 70% of patients. Not everyone will experience all of these symptoms.

Muscular stiffness and rigidity in PD

Stiffness and other symptoms can usually affect mainly the day-today activities that we would usually take for granted. People with PD may find it hard to turn around, get out of a chair or bed or even make a drink. Also somebody with PD may find it problematic to do certain activities which involve writing, locking a door or sorting through loose change. Rigidity or stiff inflexible muscles is one of the main symptoms of Parkinson’s, alongside tremor and slowness of movement. In diagnosing Parkinson’s disease rigidity is often the most noticeable when you move a joint through a circular movement.

The slowness of movement in PD

Difficulty in movement is usually described as one of the most disabling Parkinson’s symptoms. “Freezing” means short period of inability to move your feet when walking; people with Parkinson’s may occasionally feel as if their feet are glued to the floor. Different techniques such as stepping over an object or attempting to march can be extremely helpful when faced with these situations. Freezing may also be cut out by following a visual cue or a rhythmic sound.

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Stages of Parkinson's

Stage 1

During the initial first stage, a person usually has very mild symptoms that generally do not interfere with many day-to-day routines. Tremor and other movement symptoms only occur in one side of the body. Changes in walking, posture and facial structure can occur.

Stage 2

Symptoms begin to worsen. Tremor, rigidity and some other movement symptoms begin to affect both sides of the body. Walking and posture problems may begin to become a lot more prominent but the person is still able to live alone.

Stage 3

Stage three is often considered the “mid-stage”, loss of balance and slowness of movement are big indications. Falls are also a lot more common. The person is still fully independent, but some symptoms severely impair activities such as dressing and eating.

Stage 4

At this stage, symptoms begin to get very severe and limiting. Depending on how severe it is standing may be possible, but moving may require a walker. The patient needs 24/7 live in care and helps with everyday activities so would be unable to live alone.

Stage 5

This is the most advanced and debilitating stage. Severe stiffness in the legs may make it impossible for a person to stand up or walk. The person will require a wheelchair or even may be bedridden. Around the clock, care is crucial for this stage of the disease. The person may even begin to experience hallucinations and delusions. People also acknowledge that there are many important non-motor symptoms as well as motor symptoms.

How can we help

We can help in making sure that your loved one takes their medication at the right time, this is vital in ensuring that they achieve the best possible outcomes with the medication. We can help by assisting you with personal care, at a time that suits you and even assists you bathing or washing and dressing if that is proving difficult to do by yourself. A carer can also help by taking you to your appointments, going out for walks, shopping trips, social events and if you’re experiencing problems at night, we can arrange for a carer to stay for the night. We have found, in our many years of experience, that the sense of isolation can be alleviated by companionship and a cheerful person to support through this difficult disease.

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We were contacted by the daughter of a Parkinson’s sufferer, she was worried about her mother, Mrs A who was temporarily in a BUPA Nursing Home as she couldn’t manage to live on her own. Mrs A had already moved into a McCarthy and Stone One Bedroom apartment but had become depressed and unable to cope. Mrs A wanted to live in her own home, and to achieve this, our carer agreed to sleep in the living room and Mrs A had her own bedroom. The improvement in Mrs A’s quality of life was transformed and she started to enjoy daily living again. She developed a great relationship with her first carer, and she became her key worker. We looked after Mrs A. for over a year, till sadly she lost her battle with Parkinsons’ Disease. Her daughter was so grateful that her mother had such loving care and support during this very difficult time in her life. This is our aim, we cannot change the fact that a person is unwell or disabled, but we can ensure with the right support, that it is the best that it can with dressing if that is proving difficult. We can help by taking you to appointments, going out for walks, shopping trips and if you are experiencing problems at night, we can arrange for a carer to stay the night.

Case Study

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