Useful tips for those who care for a person with Parkinson’s

By in News, Parkinsons Health No Comments

CGStartingOut-1

Parkinson’s sufferers know this: the disease can also take away the pleasure of good food, turning the moment of the meal into a real nightmare. One patient out of two, in fact, has serious difficulties feeding himself by mouth, because he is unable to take the food by chewing it and swallowing it normally. This problem is called “dysphagia”, and is also common to other neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s or multiple sclerosis.

The causes.

The dysphagia typical of Parkinson’s is due to the rigidity and poor coordination of the muscles responsible for swallowing, such as the lingual, mandibular, laryngeal and esophageal muscles. For this reason it may happen that the ingested food takes the “wrong path”, ending up in the respiratory tract instead of in the digestive tract: this can cause malnutrition problems but also respiratory infections.

Signs.

There are several alarm bells that allow us to recognize dysphagia:

presence of cough during or immediately after the passage of food;
food on the throat and difficulty breathing;
numerous swallowing attempts for just one bite;
increased salivation or mucus during or after meals;
appearance of hoarseness or gurgling voice after eating meals;
modest and constant fever pitch during the afternoon hours;
weight loss and / or dehydration.
How to handle the problem.

It is advisable to eat in the “on” phases, that is to say maximum effectiveness of the drug, when one is alert, rested and able to communicate any difficulty in swallowing. The environment must be quiet and relaxing, with the TV turned off, so as to encourage concentration on the chewing and swallowing of each bite. Before the meal it can be useful to prepare and stimulate the muscles responsible for swallowing by consuming a cold food like an ice lolly.

Other useful tips on food preparation, posture during meals and oral hygiene are explained in this video by Dr. Michela Barichella, Medical Specialist in Food Science of the Parkinson Institute at Clinical Specialization Institutes (ICP ) from Milan.

Advice for those who care for the sick

By in News, Parkinsons Health No Comments

450568075-H

Who are you
sickYou are the ones who, thanks to your efforts and your tenacity, are able to provide the necessary care to a family member or a sick, disabled or weak friend through daily home care activities, personal hygiene and medical assistance. Beyond the type of assistance provided, all of you find yourself giving others encouragement, understanding, a sense of belonging, hopes and a meaning to their existence. Some statistical data:

– In 33% of cases there is only one person assisting a sick family member

– 72% are women

– Among men most frequently we find husbands and children. Spouses are mostly those who care for their partners. If they are unable to do so, they are replaced by children or daughter-in-law. – According to statistics, people in the home caring for sick family members provide 80% of global medical care and about 90% of all domestic services.

– Among the older spouses who carry out this activity, at least half of them have health problems.

– At least one third are workers and add one activity to another.

– 80% provide an average assistance of 4 hours a day for 7 days a week. In the face of particularly serious cases (Alzheimer’s disease, for example), we reach more than 40 hours a week.

– Many think that nurses or nursing homes provide the main help to the sick, the weak and the disabled. Instead, most of them are assisted at home by the family. Even those who are hospitalized in institutions continue to receive support and help from their families.

– You are “head, heart and hands” for family and society. Your role is extremely important for the well-being of your family members and for society, because through you, those with serious health problems receive the comfort and assistance they need with dignity.

Challenges and stress
Certainly one of the major challenges to be faced is to manage your care tasks without neglecting other activities that require time, attention and energy. The situation becomes more difficult when the commitments are many or emotionally engaging. Attending a patient can be very satisfying, as it is an expression of love for someone important to us, but can also become psychologically and physically exasperating. If the effort required becomes excessive, energy, good humor and the ability to cope with problems will be reduced and you will feel stressed. This feeling will vary from day to day depending on the health of the patient, his and your mood, and the energies you can count on. Certainly it gets worse in the face of unpleasant,

uncontrollable or uncertain situations, in the presence of substantial unexpected changes and inevitable frustrations. You will certainly experience stress. To be able to manage the situation you have to learn to balance the requests that come to you with your resources. Learn to recognize, anticipate and deal with commitments and stress by reinforcing self-esteem, the ability to solve problems and resorting to adequate external support. In this chapter you will find a series of tips that can help you. Put them into practice. the ability to solve problems and resorting to adequate external support. In this chapter you will find a series of tips that can help you. Put them into practice. the ability to solve problems and resorting to adequate external support. In this chapter you will find a series of tips that can help you. Put them into practice.