Introduction Parkinson’s disease is a common disease facing many older people across the world. It affects the central nervous system and it impairs cognitive processes, motor skills and other functions. This disease mostly affects the older generation and it manifests itself with symptoms which include rigidity, tremor, postural instability, slowness in movement and others. Other symptoms include sleep difficulties, sensory and autonomic dysfunction. Parkinson’s disease has a high prevalence rate among older people with approximately 500,000 people suffering from the disease in the United States. In addition, there are approximately 1 million people who suffer from the disease but they have not been diagnosed yet (Oxtoby et. al., …show more content…
However, these too can benefit from several programs which have been created to cater for patients suffering from the disease across the US. Another psycho-social challenge facing many Parkinson’s patients is lack of access to effective health care services. Many patients do not have support from family and friends and they also do not have employment opportunities. As a result, they are unable to afford health care insurance to manage their condition and this worsens their symptoms (Grimes, 2004). If the disease is left untreated for a long time, such patients are exposed to fatality. This may explain the high number of people who succumb to Parkinson’s disease which can be managed through treatment. In addition, there is a high level of psychological suffering especially for patients in the late stage of the illness. Such patients suffer from altered relationships, low self esteem, loss of autonomy, social isolation among other effects. These have an adverse effect on mental health and they may lead to the development of other mental illnesses such as psychosis. It is therefore of essential importance that a cure is found for the illness. This may only be achieved through research. Research projects on Parkinson’s disease There are various researches which have been conducted in order to understand the most effective way to diagnose and treat the disease. In a research by Columbia University, 100 people of who
Parkinson disease (PD) is one of the most common neurologic disorders. and it affects approximately 1% of individuals older than 60 years old. Parkinson’s disease is a condition that progresses slowly by treatment. In addition, loss of pigmented dopaminergic neurons of the substantianigra pars compacta and the presence of Lewy bodies and Lewyneurites are the two major neuropathologic findings in Parkinson disease (Hauser, 2016).
If you eat unhealthy, fatty foods your whole life, you have a higher risk of developing diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or arteriosclerosis. If you have unprotected sex, you may contract a sexually transmitted disease, such as syphilis, gonorrhea, or HIV/AIDS. But, Parkinson’s doesn’t racially discriminate, nor does it care if someone is wealthy, poor, educated, non-educated, male or female. Anyone can develop Parkinson’s disease. The disease begins in the brain, our most intricate, delicate organ, whose complexity is still not entirely understood, even with today’s technology and experts. The brain intrigues me. I find myself curious about brain
The main symptoms and signs of Parkinson’s are bradykinesia, rigidity and rest tremor. Parkinson’s is mainly seen as a movement disorder, but other areas of health problems are associated with it. These include depression and dementia along with autonomic disturbances and pain, although considered to be rare they can present at a later stage of the condition. These rarer symptoms, as they progress, can lead to substantial disability and handicap which harms quality of life for the person living with Parkinson’s, this also has an impact on families and carer’s.
The World Health Organization projects that, by 2040, neurodegenerative diseases will become more common than cancer (Cashell, 2014). Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is widely listed as the second most common neurodegenerative disease (Wuong, 2012; Gillies et al., 2014; Cashell, 2014; Walker, Davidson, & Gray, 2012). This disease, usually characterized by a tremor, but featuring systemic effects, has been diagnosed in one to two percent of people over age 65 (Casey, 2013). Parkinson’s disease is incurable; the goal of the healthcare team is to help the patient to maintain function, independence and quality of life (Miertová et al., 2014; Magennis, Lynch, & Corry, 2014). In the discussion that follows, current understanding of the causes and treatment of PD will be summarized, along with examples of nursing interventions.
J.N., a 65-year-old Caucasian female with a history of anxiety and depression, presents for diagnostic testing at Saint Mary Medical Center in Hobart, Indiana to confirm or deny a diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease, after presenting with recent onset of upper extremity tremor affecting both sides and facial masking. Patient history also includes bradykinesia, restlessness, fatigue, muscle weakness, and poor balance and coordination, all of which are common in a diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease. J.N. was referred to the Neurology Department of Saint Mary Medical Center after a routine appointment with her Cardiologist, who noted the recent onset of additional signs and symptoms. J.N. is my mother and my inspiration for this assignment.
Parkinson’s disease is a very well-known disease. It plagues about five million people worldwide, about a million of those cases are in the United States. A person does not lower their chances of getting Parkinson’s by living in a certain part of the world. It is not more, likely to happen in one location than, another. It has to do with age and genetics (“Demographics of parkinson’s,” 2014). It is a disease of the older generation, around about one percent of people over the age of 60 years old have Parkinson’s disease (Hauser, 2014). As one ages the likelihood of a person developing goes up. About four percent of people over the age of 80 years old develop Parkinson’s disease. The percentage of people who have Parkinson’s that are younger than 40 years old, is less than 10 percent. It is more
The group leader facilitated the discussion that way, which seemed to flow appropriately. Steps 6-7, application and summary, also seemed to be completed simultaneously as well. The wrap-up included a recap of the session and helpful strategies shared. For the Parkinson’s group, there was no specific activity done during the session. The format of the group was an open group discussion where members were encouraged to participate. If anything, members needed the cognitive ability and working memory to engage in conversation. Also, adequate communication and social skills were required. There were many main ideas presented during the Parkinson’s discussion, but the two that were significant to the group were medications, and losing the ability to drive. The most common coping strategy amongst the group was exercise. Many of the members also expressed their medication concerns and side effects specifically. The most common coping strategy was exercise and being outdoors. Many of the members also expressed how they have become more grateful for the support of their spouses and or
Many may not know Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder in the world. This disease is most seen in the elderly starting at 62 years of age although, younger individuals can still have the disease it isn’t common. Parkinson’s make it difficult for its victims to carry out everyday activities that might have once been easy for them. As the disease progresses it makes it hard for the patient to do things like walk, stand, swallow and speak. A great deal of people don’t realize how helpful therapy can be when dealing with such disease!
Parkinson disease (PD), also referred to as Parkinson’s disease and paralysis agitans, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that is the third most common neurologic disorder of older adults. It is a debilitating disease affecting motor ability and is characterized by four cardinal symptoms: tremor rigidity, bradykinesia or kinesis (slow movement/no movement), and postural instability. Most people have primary, or idiopathic, disease. A few patients have secondary parkinsonian symptoms from conditions such as brain tumors and certain anti-psychotic drugs.
The National Parkinson Foundation located on the website www.parkinson.org, was designed to help people who are affected by parkinson’s disease and to be more aware of the disease through education, treatment options and expert care research. The mission of the non-profit organization states “We make life better for people with Parkinson 's through expert care and research. Everything we do helps people actively enjoy life with their friends, families, children and grandchildren until there is a tomorrow without Parkinson 's” (National Parkinson Foundation). The National Parkinson Foundation targeted audiences includes people who suffer from
This paper is an in depth examination of a family and their experiences involving a loved ones, further referred to as R.M., diagnosis with early onset Parkinson’s disease. The information for this paper was gathered through three unstructured interviews, with three different family members, taken independently over several days. These interviews revealed the family’s developmental life cycle stage over many years, the illness narratives from three different perspectives, and the effects of this illness on each of the different family members. K.M., R.M.’s daughter, experienced the greatest impact from her father’s diagnosis with early onset Parkinson’s disease. L.M., K.M.’s husband, offered the perspective from a non immediate family member who struggled with the effects that R.M.’s disease had on his wife, and the daunting task of watching the rapidly deteriorating physical abilities of R.M. T.M., the son of K.M. and L.M., described his unique experiences of seeing his grandfather sick and the effects this had on him at such a young age. A genogram and ecomap are included in the paper to provide an illustrative representation of the relationships within the family, as well as the various systems that have had an impact on this illness experience, such as the family’s involvement with the health care system.
Parkinson’s Disease is a long-term progressive neurodegenerative disease consisting of motor system impairment, neuropsychiatric, and nonmotor features. The disease is characterized by the following key clinical features: bradykinesia, resting tremor, postural instability, and rigidity. These symptoms are due to the diminishing of dopamine in the nigrostriatal pathway and substantia nigra, which causes inhibition of the thalamus decreasing excitatory input to the motor cortex.1 Along with the key manifestations an individual with Parkinson’s Disease will experience problems associated with the disease or the antiparkinson medications. These co-occurring problems are hallucinations, dementia, daytime sleepiness, fatigue, depression, and pyschosis.2 Psychosis is a common problem in Parkinson’s Disease, and is characterized by paranoid delusions and hallucinations that are visual in nature.2 Risk factors for psychosis consists of advancing age, dementia, sleep disorders, and high doses of antiparkinson drugs.1
Parkinson’s Disease is known as one of the most common progressive and chronic neurodegenerative disorders. It belongs to a group of conditions known as movement disorders. Parkinson disease is a component of hypokinetic disorder because it causes a decreased in bodily movement. It affects people who are usually over the age of 50. It can impair an individual motor as well as non-motor function. Some of the primary symptoms of Parkinson’s disease are characterized by tremors or trembling in hands, legs and arms. In early symptoms the tremor can be unilateral, appearing in one side of body but progression in the disease can cause it to spread to both sides; rigidity or a resistant to movement affects most people with Parkinson’s disease,
Parkinson’s Disease is a very common disorder these days. Over 10 million people live daily with Parkinson worldwide. Parkinson’s Disease was named after an English surgeon James Parkinson who wrote a detailed description essay called Shaking Palsy in 1817. The average age for Parkinson’s Disease is between 45 to 70 years old but you can also have juvenile or young onset as well. Most common symptoms of Parkinson are tremors, bradykinesia or akinesia, or rigidity or stiffness, and balance disorder. Parkinson’s Disease doesn’t have a cure and the cause is unknown it could be a number of things genetics, environmental triggers, age, or gender. Parkinson’s Disease happens because the dopaminergic neuron dies and
Parkinson disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized mainly by physical and psychological disabilities. This disorder was named after James Parkinson, an English physician who first described it as shaking palsy in 1817 (Goetz, Factr, and Weiner, 2002). Jean- Martin Charcot, who was a French neurologist, then progressed and further refined the description of the disease and identified other clinical features of PD (Goetz, Factr, and Weiner, 2002). PD involves the loss of cells that produce the neurotransmitter dopamine in a part of the brain stem called the substansia nigra, which results in several signs and symptoms (Byrd, Marks, and Starr, 2000). It is manifested clinically by tremor,