Parkinson's Disease

catmad

My elderly mother has had confirmed diagnosis of Parksinson's, something we suspected she had for years and we know the doctor's reasoning in only telling her now.

She is 84 and lives on her own. Has anyone any advice particularly in relation to availing of the meagre services that are out there and specifically off loading any assets that might be a hindrance in getting what might be available.? I might add that she has a house, is not wealthy by any means but is comfortable and has a small savings account.

acorntoast

Hi Catmad - Sorry that your Mam is ill. There's Parkinson's in my extended family - but I have no direct experience of caring or dealing with issues around financial aid etc.. Hopefully someone else will be able to respond.

Maybe the Parkinson's Association of Ireland will be of some use to you.

http://www.parkinsons.ie/

Best of luck.

tweety28

what type of advice are you looking for i know there is some good regulatory medication out there Ldopa i belive is one of them or are you looking for advice on finantional support of the state? or people advice on how best to care for your mother?

im not quite sure what you are looking for?

hope you get the help you are looking for, im sure its out there, its just finding it thats the problem,

jos28

My Mam has had Parkinsons for the past 10 years, diagnosed at 70. If your Mam is managing to stay in her own house then there is some help available. This seems to differ in the different HSE areas. The first place to start is with her district nurse, if she does not have one then contact your local health centre and get one assigned to her.
Your district nurse is the KEY to all services. The first thing I would request from her is an assessment by an Occupational Therapist. They call to the house and recommend changes to make your Mam's life easier. It is amazing the difference that small changes can make when dealing with PD. The Occupation Therapist can supply aids and appliances that range from wheelchairs, electric reclining chairs, fancy electric beds, hand rails, seats for the shower etc. These things made a massive difference for my Mother. There are grants available for house improvements such as adding a downstairs toilet, stair lifts, building an extension suitable for your Mother's needs. Contact your local council for details on what is available. When applying to the council for any of these grants you will need a report from the Occupational therapist.
The District nurse can also organise meals on wheels for 5 days per week. Limited home help is also available, usually means someone calling for a couple of hours a week to do light housework. She will also be entitled to respite in a local Nursing home for 2 weeks per year. We were initially shocked at the mere idea of this but it turned out to be invaluable for Mam and the rest of the family.
The area of assets and the value of her home are really only an issue when it comes to residential care, as far as I know. This is all up in the air at the moment with Mary Harney's proposal for the 'Fair deal for Nursing homes scheme'.
I have been on this road for a long time and the main advice I will give is that everything begins with the District Nurse and OT. Contact them and develop a good relationship with them. It has amazed me the help they can supply and favours they can do if they know you are having difficulties.
Best of luck and feel free to PM me if you want.

IncredibleHulk

catmad wrote: »

My elderly mother has had confirmed diagnosis of Parksinson's, something we suspected she had for years and we know the doctor's reasoning in only telling her now.

She is 84 and lives on her own. Has anyone any advice particularly in relation to availing of the meagre services that are out there and specifically off loading any assets that might be a hindrance in getting what might be available.? I might add that she has a house, is not wealthy by any means but is comfortable and has a small savings account.

I am sorry to hear of your Mam's situation

Contact the head of the local community care centre and ask for her to be assessed to see what she needs. If you do not know who it is call the centre and ask and write him/her directly. As that she be assessed and have all the care attention she requires. Copy the letter to your GP.

Deadevil129

Hi Catmad

Sorry to hear about your Mum's condition. My Dad was diagnosed with early onset Parkinsons around seven years ago so I can understand what you're going through. However I still live at home with both my parents so I probably don't have the worries you would have as regards your mother being by herself.

I second the idea of seeing your district nurse and getting an occupational therapist in to have a look at the house. They can both inform you properly of what's likely to come in the future, for example, the possibilty of your mother needing a wheelchair, and how her house can cope with that. While i'm a little ignorant on the subject, I believe there is a grant available for things like this; modifying bathrooms; putting in handrails etc. but like anything, this can take forever to come through so it's always a good idea to get the occupational therapist asap.

There are lots of medications available to treat Parkinsons. In my personal experiance as my Dad's condition progressed he was put on varying combinations, most of which involved four or five pills at various times during the day. The central problem with this was he'd often forget and then enter a "dip" as we'd call it where he'd stiffen up entirely and have dreadful trouble getting around the house. Recently he's been put on a patch, and while I'm not sure of the name it's worked wonders so far, mostly because he can't forget to take anything this way. Make sure your doctor talks you through all the options available, because there are a lot of combinations and what works for some wont work for others.

Lastly make sure your mother tries her hardest to keep up activies she did before. I'm no suggesting she goes out and runs a marathon, obviously her safety is paramount, but small things, like helping her to go and get something as oppsed to fetching it for her. Parkinsons is very frustrating for everyone involved, but ultimately just getting the sufferer to sit there like a lemon while everything is done for them is counter productive. Just make sure there's a clear path to where they want to go, no clutter or chair's blocking doors.

Best of luck with all this.