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Senior Care Tips: Helping Your Parent with Parkinson's Disease Handle Activities of Daily Living
Senior Care in Stockbridge GA
No matter how long you have been on a senior care journey with your elderly parent, you have likely heard the term "activities of daily living." Also known as ADLs, these are the tasks that people complete on a daily basis to support their health and well-being, and take care of their home. It is very common for these to become more challenging or even unsafe for an elderly adult to do on their own. This is especially true if your aging parent has Parkinson's disease. This progressive disease can cause symptoms that make it very challenging for your parent to handle these activities on their own. This can be extremely emotionally upsetting for your parent. Fortunately you or a home care provider can encourage your parent to maintain as much independence as possible and handle many of their own ADLs. This will help to support better mental, emotional, cognitive, and even physical health as they age in place.
Some ways that you can help a senior with Parkinson's disease handle activities of daily living include:
• Making bathing safer and easier. Being fresh and clean is an important part of your elderly parent feeling good about themselves, as well as staying healthy. The mobility challenges and tremors of Parkinson's disease, however, can make bathing or showering challenging and dangerous for your loved one. Install handrails to help your parent get into and out of the bath or shower easier. Ensure that there is a rubber-backed mat on the floor to help prevent slipping and give your parent greater confidence. When in the bath or shower, discourage the use of bar soap. This can be very slippery and difficult to hold onto. If your parent drops the bar of soap they may lean down to pick it up, potentially causing them to lose their balance and experience a serious fall.
• Give confidence in dressing. Dressing is a task that most people do not think about, but that can be extremely challenging for a senior with Parkinson's disease. Helping your parent feel more confident and independent in this task can help your parent feel better about themselves and experience a higher quality of life. Start by waiting until your parent is feeling good and is not distracted to get started on the dressing process. This will help to make the process less frustrating for both of you. Do not rush your parent through the process. This will only upset them and increase the chances of them experiencing serious symptoms. Look for clothing that is easy to put on and take off, such as pants with Velcro rather than buttons and zippers, and pull-on shirts.
• Break down tasks. Whether it is doing a load of laundry, washing the dishes, or preparing dinner, complex tasks can be overwhelming when your parent is dealing with the symptoms of PD. Break down the tasks so that your parent can tackle one step at a time. This helps to ensure that your loved one will not get over-tired or stressed, which can increase symptoms. It also makes it easier and more efficient for you or a home care provider to help with the task without completely taking over.
Source
http://www.parkinson.org/understanding-parkinsons/living-well/activities-of-daily-living