According to Parkinson.org, Parkinson’s Disease is described as being “a neurodegenerative disorder which affects neurons in a specific area of the brain that produces dopamine. Symptoms generally develop slowly over the years and the progression of symptoms is often a bit different from one person to another due to the diversity of the disease.” People with PD may experience:

• Tremors

• Slowness of movement

• Cramping

• Soft speech

• Limb stiffness. Freezing up with the inability to move

• Masked or rigid face
  

Other non-motor symptoms including depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders can also occur.

With this wide variety of symptoms, and the way each person’s body presents different symptoms, it is no wonder that doctors sometimes misdiagnose the underlying disease of PD.

At JanCare, we have extensive experience with patients with PD and there have been times when the initial diagnosis was for either a stroke or a heart attack. With our watchful care, we have observed additional symptoms that have helped the caring physician to make the correct diagnosis and begin the appropriate treatment for Parkinson’s Disease.

There have also been occasions when in addition to Parkinson’s, there were additional underlying health issues that only got addressed because we train each of our caregivers to be mindful of the health of the whole person, a holistic approach that provides effective quality care.

While Parkinson’s itself is not fatal, disease complications can be serious. Having a strong support system that includes home care assistance can be very beneficial to living well with Parkinson’s and a good to great quality of life.