Parkinson`s hits Mom fast

  My mom has had a tremmer in her left arm for years and was told she has Parkinson`s. All of a sudden she now can`t walk without help and has trouble eating well. It took her 1 1/2 hrs just to eat a sandwich at lunch and she couldn`t control her fork last night. Is there a special way she needs to be fed now?

  What do I need to know about caring for my Mom?

 

Mary,
As for eating I am not sure if you mean your mom was having difficulty swallowing or if it was because of the tremor. If it is because of tremor, my suggestion is to make sure that you have lots of finger foods available for her. It is very fustrating to try to keep food on a fork or spoon and it takes us longer to eat when we must do tasks like picking up food on a fork. (they even make bite size ice-cream bites now - a real treat for ice-cream lovers like me) As for walking you may have to consider a walker, which helps with balance issues and starts and stops. The sleeping may come from underlying depression. The more involved you can get your Mom to be the better it will be for her. Try to involve her in things that would be fun but not taxing given the tremor. Asking her help to recall happy family events for a scrapbook, or life journal would be a good project that keeps her mind focused on happer times and would allow her to see that she is valued.

These come to mind off the top of my head. I am sure that others who have been dealing with PD for a long time will be able to give you more advice. Best of luck and God bless!

JBPHOTONUT

Hi,

    I am new to this board.  My mother too, was dx with Parkinson's relatively recently.  She also has problems eating.  Both with swallowing, and in controlling the untensils.  I hope you have better luck with your neurologist than what I have found here in Michigan.  The drs are good in their own field, but not so helpful with advice for coping and daily living skills.  I think I will find more useful help on the boards.  Take care, and good luck!  I will be checking this board daily, now that I have found it.

 

Loni

Hi Loni & Mary
I've been dealing with PD for 10 plus years. One of my biggest problems was eating, including swallowing and holding utensils. The utensil problem was alleviated by using utensils with BIG handles. The handles on the set that I use are one half iinch in diameter.
It turns out that my swallowing problem was caused by food getting stuck in my throat. It seems that I had been sipping drinks which wasen't enough to completly clear the throat. So now before a problem starts, I take 3 or 4 gulps of water - problem alleviated.
It's the little things

Dave