Parkinson’s Disease

In the UK, there are approximately 145,000 people who have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, a neurological condition that has an impact on the functionality of the brain.

There are 1 in 350 adults living with Parkinson’s Disease, with many receiving specialist care to improve their quality of life, whilst also easing any burden for their loved ones.

The Development of Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s Disease is a gradual condition that gets worse across a sustained period; there is no continual pattern and the severity of the symptoms varies in each independent case.

Although there are circumstances whereby a patient may demonstrate a variety of symptoms, there are instances whereby others may not exhibit any indicators at all.

There are five stages of Parkinson’s Disease that have been established by specialists that outline how the disease develops.

Stage One is characterised by mild symptoms such as hand tremors. However, as Parkinson’s Disease develops and progresses into Stage Five, patients sometimes experience symptoms such as hallucinations and difficulty walking.

How Can Parkinson’s Disease Change Lives?

Right at Home client Roy White is currently being treated for Parkinson’s Disease and receives specialist support to ensure that he can live life to its optimum potential.

A former racing enthusiast, Roy’s partner Julie provided an insight into how the illness has affected his day-to-day living.

“Roy was a very active man – he was a racing cyclist. He didn’t stop racing until he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease at the age of seventy-four. We knew that something wasn’t quite right, but he carried on, nonetheless. However, the condition was eventually too much and he had to stop racing.”

Despite Roy being faced with the disappointing scenario whereby he had to give up his passion, he has not been deterred from living life and embracing new opportunities.

Since calling time on racing, he has since enjoyed painting and has recently begun writing a series of poetry and articles; after his diagnosis, Roy has adopted an admirable philosophy and has continued pursuing a range of hobbies. Nonetheless, there have been struggles along the way.

“After art, Roy took up writing but it’s getting more difficult for him to do things. It’s hard because he’s always been a person who will happily have a go at anything.”

While Roy has continued to maintain a positive outlook, Parkinson’s Disease has unquestionably changed how he lives his life, with Julie outlining how daily routine has become trickier.

“Since being diagnosed, Roy has slowly begun to move less and less; he has a lot of trouble getting from A to B. Getting him out of bed and things like that are hard and at the moment he’s struggling to sleep.”

How Have Right at Home Helped?

To make life more comfortable for Roy, the couple decided to seek supplementary support from a care provider, with Right at Home’s caregivers’ providing regular visits to alleviate the pressure and provide Roy with additional social interaction.

“Right at Home assist with washing and dressing Roy in the morning; we’ve been receiving support for twelve-months. Originally, we did have care from another company, but unfortunately, they told us that we were too far away to receive support, so we picked Right at Home.

“There’ve been a few caregivers’ who helped and he’s got on with them extremely well. Receiving care has been good for Roy – not only from a health perspective but also for the social side as well; he loves meeting new people and having a chat so that’s been good for him.”

The struggles that can arise when living with Parkinson’s Disease or caring for a loved one with the condition are unquestionable. However, since contacting Right at Home and seeking support, life for both Roy and Julie have been made more comfortable.

Do you have a family member or a close friend is living with Parkinson’s Disease? Would they benefit from support from our fully trained care team? Right at Home would be delighted to help. For more information please call 0161 7910934.