Caring for the Elderly with Parkinson's Disease

What is Parkinson's Disease?

Parkinson's disease is a neurological disorder that is very common to the aging members of the population. The number of old people affected by this debilitating disease is expected to rise over the next few years as the aging population continues to increase.

Causes of Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease results when the amount of dopamine in the brain deteriorates due to the death of about 80 percent of the cells that produce this substance. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that transmits signals to the part of the brain that controls mobility and movement.

Scientists have discovered that the death of the cells is caused by a protein called alpha synuclein, a substance that is found numerous in the human brain. When these proteins clump together, they cause the cells to die.

Symptoms

People who suffer from Parkinson's disease manifest many symptoms, the most common of which are tremors or the uncontrollable shaking of hands and arms, including difficulty in body movement and mobility, problem in coordination, stiffness of the arms and legs, shaking of arms, hands, jaw and legs.

Other symptoms of this disease include difficulty in speech, change in handwriting, drooling, body pain and fatigue, constipation, problem in getting sleep, difficulty swallowing, depression and anxiety, temporary memory loss, impaired thinking, and problems with urinating and having sex. Not all patients experience the symptoms, though, they vary from one patient to another.

The cause of Parkinson's disease has been a mystery up to this modern age but medical studies show that the process of aging coupled with the individual's environment and genetics could be some of the causes of this disease. Parkinson's is a debilitating disease that affects an individual for a long period of time and will get worse over time if no proper treatment is given.

Treatment

Elderly patients with Parkinson's disease should be given medications that could increase dopamine production in the deteriorating brain. However, since dopamine does not cross the blood-brain barrier, meaning it cannot penetrate the brain and the cerebro-spinal fluid, the substance dopa which is the precursor of dopamine and a substance that can cross the blood brain barrier, is used instead.

Several references, like the Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences points to levodopa as the most effective medication for this disease although some dopamine agonists are also used. The reference states that treating patients with Parkinson's include both pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic approach and should be suited to each individual needs and the manner by which the disease progresses aimed at minimizing the discomfort caused by the symptoms of the disability.

Surgery and deep brain stimulation are becoming popular alternatives to medication. Deep brain stimulation involves the stimulation of the thalamus which is believed to minimize the tremors caused by Parkinson's disease. The elderly patient should talk to his or her neurologist for the best advice with regard to his or her circumstances.

Care for the elderly with Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease patients experience the symptoms of the disease in stages which becomes more and more difficult to manage as the disease progresses. The primary concern of the caregiver should be to make the patient comfortable and safe to enable him or her to cope with the daily routine.