Parkinson’s Disease: Its Stages, Symptoms and Ways on Handling its Patients

It would be a sad thing if your loved one will suffer from Parkinson’s disease and you might have no idea on its nature as well as how to handle people with a Parkinson’s disease. Due to that concern, One Care Companion brings you the best home care services in Naples South Florida to help you with it.

With this, here is some of the information provided for you by the best home care services in Naples South Florida.

What is Parkinson’s disease?

Parkinson’s disease is a type of dementia. This is a progressive disorder (which means that the symptoms will continue and worsen over time) of the nervous system that may affect a person’s movement.

Parkinson’s includes the death of the primary nerve cells on the brain (called neurons). The neurons produce dopamine which is a chemical substance that sends messages to a specific part of your brain which controls the movement and coordination of the body. If a Parkinson’s disease progresses, it would affect the neurons in the brain’s part called substantia nigra.

Its symptoms vary from one person to another. In line with this, here are some of the symptoms a Parkinson’s disease patient will experience:

• Tremor – It is the shaking of the body, usually in the arms, hands, jaw, legs and face.
• Slow movement – Also called as bradykinesis. Parkinson’s will reduce your ability to move and slows down your movement.
• Rigid muscles – This is the muscle stiffness which may limit your motion’s range and causes you pain.
• Unstable posture and balance – The patient will have a difficulty in standing straight and in finding his/her own balance.
• Changes in speech – Patient may speak too soft or too loud. The tone of the speech is monotone.

Stages of Parkinson’s disease

Stage One

• The symptoms are already observable but it is not enough to disturb the daily tasks and lifestyle of a patient.
• The symptoms, especially the tremors are exclusively observable only on one side of the patient’s body.
• There are specialized medications that can effectively minimize the symptoms.

Stage Two

• The symptoms are more observable and changes in the patient’s facial expression are noticed already.
• Both sides of the body already feel the symptoms and the patient may have a difficulty in talking.

Stage Three

• The symptoms are the same as those in stage two but the patient will now lose its own balance and his or her reflexes are decreased.

Stage Four

• The patient will need assistance from other people in walking or standing, since there is already a significant decrease in the reaction and movement period.

Stage Five

• It is the debilitating stage.
• Parkinson’s patients need wheelchairs since they are already unable to stand alone without falling.
• The patient might also feel hallucinations.

How to help your loved one with Parkinson’s?

• Be educated about the symptoms and progressions of the disease, as well as its treatment.
• Give them the love and support they badly needed and never show to them your pity or sadness.
• Be sure to follow the appointments with doctors, medication time and exercise schedules.

Taking care of your loved ones’ with a Parkinson’s disease might be hard but you don’t need to worry anymore. There is an available home care services in Naples South Florida which can help you with that. For more information, visit www.onecarecompanion.com.