Parkinson's Disease Home Care

Home Care for Someone With Parkinson's Disease

Last updated: 11-Nov-2008

Before you take on the demanding job of home care, be sure you've thought carefully about the level of care needed, whether you and your family are prepared to take on that challenge, and whether the support and resources you'll need are available and affordable. Keep in mind that in adapting a home for someone with Parkinson's, it's important to make movement as easy and safe as possible.

Bathing Your Mom: A Beginner's Guide

Let's face it, giving your mom a bath isn't an easy thing for you or for her. Bathing is one of the most intimate kinds of personal care, second maybe only to changing an incontinent parent?s diaper. You're likely to feel awkward, embarrassed, and self-conscious. Your mom feels all of these emotions, too, as well as helpless and vulnerable...

Foot Care

For the comfort and good health of the person in your care:

Giving Your Parent a Bed Bath: A Step-by-Step Guide

If your parent is sedentary or on bed rest, the best approach to bathing may be a bed bath. When getting to the shower or tub is impossible, a bed bath is the only option. It sounds simple enough -- you basically wipe your parent clean with a cloth. But in reality, giving a good bed bath is a bit tricky...

8 Essentials for Bathing Your Parent

Having these items on hand will make bathtime safer and easier:

6 Ways to Make Bathing Your Parent More Comfortable

There's no getting around the inherent awkwardness of giving your mom or dad a bath -- you feel it and so do they. Try these six ideas to up the comfort level:

Bathing Your Dad: A Beginner's Guide

Let's face it, giving your dad a bath isn't an easy thing for you or for him. Bathing is one of the most intimate kinds of personal care, second maybe only to diaper changing. You're likely to feel awkward, embarrassed, and self-conscious. Your dad feels all of these emotions, too, as well as helpless and vulnerable...

Toileting

Always wear disposable gloves when helping with toileting. This prevents the spread of disease. Wash your hands before and after providing care.

Setting Up a Care Plan

A plan of care is a daily record of the care and treatment a person needs after a hospital stay. The plan helps you and the person in your care with caregiving tasks.

Setting Up a Plan of Care for Someone With Chronic Lung Disease

A plan of care is a daily record of the care and treatment a person needs after a hospital stay. The plan helps you and the person in your care with caregiving tasks.

6 Essential Supplies for Caring for Your Parent's Hair

Your elderly parent's hair requires special care. A checklist of the six most useful supplies for shampooing and grooming.

The Basics of Shampooing Your Parent's Hair

It sounds easy enough: After all, everyone knows how to shampoo their own hair. But washing someone else's hair -- especially that of another adult who's sick or frail and who also happens to be your parent -- isn't always a simple task.

Boosting Calorie or Protein Intake

Offer most of the food when the person is most hungry. Encourage the person to eat food with the fingers if it increases intake. Add non-fat powdered milk to any food with liquid in it, such as desserts, soups, gravy, and cereal. Add butter, whipped cream, or sour cream to foods...

Bed Making With Someone in It

Making a bed with someone in it will be easier if you follow these steps:

Equipment and Supplies

To provide proper at-home care, you will need certain supplies. There are two types:

Dehydration Prevention

As a person ages, he feels less thirsty, so a special effort should be made to provide enough fluids. A person's fluid balance can be affected by medication, emotional stress, exercise, nourishment, general health, and the weather. Dehydration, especially in the elderly, can increase confusion and muscle weakness and cause nausea...

Exercise and the Daily Routine

A good exercise regimen can help a person maintain mobility.

The Importance of Exercise to Physical and Emotional Well Being

Physical activity and good nutrition are perfect partners in good health. This winning combination finds a balance between what one eats and one's daily activities. Together they help in managing weight and providing energy. Physical activity not only burns calories, but it can also help the person in...

Falls and Related Injuries

Preventive measures include:

Skin Care and Prevention of Pressure Sores or Bed Sores

Pressure sores (also called decubiti, or bedsores) are blisters or breaks in the skin. They are caused when the body's weight presses blood out of a certain area. The best treatment of pressure sores is prevention. How much time they take to heal depends on advanced they are.