Practical Parkinson's Pointers
Falling
Parkinson's disease affects the balance and coordination centers in the brain. Postural
stability is lost, and balance adjustments that once were automatic become more difficult.
Many people with Parkinson's disease can be thrown off balance by a small push, a bump,
or just the thought of walking through a narrow entryway.
Some Useful Suggestions
Remove throw rugs and low-lying obstacles from pathways inside and outside your home.
Install hand rails, especially along stairways.
Use a cane when necessary.
Avoid using stepladders or stools to reach high objects.
Slow down when you feel yourself in a hurry.
Before rising from your bed or bath, pause for a moment in a sitting position.
Stop walking or sit down if you feel dizzy.
Walking
Parkinson's disease may disturb your equilibrium and postural stability. This loss of balance
makes it difficult to walk with a normal gait. People living with Parkinson's disease tend to walk
with a shuffle, taking short, rapid steps on the balls of their feet with their heels off the ground.
Some Useful Suggestions
If you notice yourself shuffling, slow down or stop walking and check your posture.
Keep your feet a comfortable distance apart, eight to ten inches.
Stand up straight with your head over your hips.
Buy a good pair of walking shoes with a low heel and good arch support. Avoid running shoes
or shoes with crepe soles.
Exaggerate lifting your feet and swinging your arms. With each step, pretend you are stepping over a log.
Practice taking long steps.
When you need to turn around, don't pivot on one foot. Instead, walk around in a circle until you're facing the direction you want to go.
Handwriting
Your physician may have requested a handwriting sample during an examination. Parkinson's
disease affects fine motor skills. Writing often becomes smaller and harder to read the longer you
write, because muscles become fatigued. You may also notice a squiggle due to tremor.
Some Useful Suggestions
Try using a large-body pen or pencil or one with a built-up handle.
Experiment with different types of pens. Felt-tip pens, for example, have a "slippery" feel that offers less resistance.
Lift your arm up from time to time, straighten your elbow, and move your fingers.
Instead of writing by hand, use a typewriter or word processor. If you don't have keyboard skills, practice a little every day. The exercise will help improve your dexterity.
If someone is available to type for you, use a Dictaphone.
Consider corresponding by recording your messages on tape.
Dressing
For many people with Parkinson's disease, dressing is the most frustrating of all daily activities.
The loss of fine motor control and coordination makes it difficult to button buttons, tie a tie, zip a
zipper, put on a jacket, or step into a pair of pants. In spite of the difficulties, most people prefer to
dress themselves, even if it takes more time and effort.
Some Useful Suggestions
Replace clothes that have complicated fasteners with ones you can slip on easily, such as sweatpants, sweatshirts, or pants with elastic waistbands.
Avoid clothes that fasten in the back.
Look for clothes and shoes that have Velcro fasteners, or have the buttons and zippers on your clothes replaced with Velcro.
Make your dressing area "user friendly". Install clothes rods and drawers that make your clothing easy to reach.
Dress sitting down on a bed or a chair. Place the clothes you plan wear next to you on the bed or on a table within easy reach.
Consult your medical supply store or a catalog for dressing aids, such as dressing sticks and long-handled shoe horns.
Swallowing
Swallowing problems are rarely an issue for people during the early phases of Parkinson's disease. However, many individuals may experience problems in swallowing later on and may occasionally choke on food, pills, or their own saliva.
Some Useful Suggestions
Take extra-small bites of food, chew thoroughly, and swallow carefully.
Chop up your food in a food processor, so that it's easier to chew and swallow.
Always swallow your food completely before taking more food into your mouth.
Family members and caregivers should consider receiving training in the Heimlich maneuver.
Take your time eating. Use an electric warming tray to keep your food hot so that you won't feel the need to rush.
Swallow excess saliva before you put food into your mouth. Keep a beverage at hand during meals and take frequent sips.
Freezing
Freezing is a gait disturbance that results in the sudden inability to move. When it occurs, people with Parkinson's disease are
often in an unbalanced position. Trying to move when frozen can make matters worse and may lead to a fall.
Some Useful Suggestions
When you freeze, stop trying to walk, instead, press your heels to the floor.
Stand up straight, with your head over your hips, but don't lean backwards.
Look straight ahead, not down.
Pick a target and walk toward it, especially when walking through doorways.
If you're walking with someone, have the person hold your arm or elbow.
Develop a regular stretching and exercise program. Regular movement can help you maintain your sense of balance and posture.
Hygiene
Loss of fine motor control and balance may make it more difficult to perform simple tasks such as brushing your teeth and bathing. But hygiene is important for your comfort and self-esteem. It is also important for your continued health and well-being.
Some Useful Suggestions
"Accident-proof" your bathroom. Replace glass partitions and slippery bath mats, and use paper cups.
Tile flooring in the bathroom can become slippery and dangerous when wet. Consider replacing it with wall-to-wall carpeting.
Install sturdy grab bars next to the bath, toilet, and wherever else you need balance and support. Never use towel racks for support.
Avoid standing up in the bathtub. If you like to take showers, consider sitting down in the shower or place rubber mats on the floor of the tub.
Instead of drying with a towel after you bathe, put on a terrycloth robe.
Use an electric toothbrush. Ask your dentist for recommendations.
