Parkinsons elderly

[liser]

My 78 year old mother has been diagnoised about 4 months ago with PD. She will only eat a little for us and now around 92 lbs. We have her on appetite medication but not helping much. She also is now loosing control of her bowels not daily but often. We have her on the alz med and the pd meds. Her voice is 90% of the time raspy sounding but each visit to the Dr he says her oxygen levels ar ok for now. She cannot do much of anything on her own. Does this sound like the final stages?? We really do not know what to expect?? How fast does this disease move at the end???

[Rhoda55]

The rate for the progression of parkinson's disease is different for each person. My Mom has had parkinson's disease for a little over 10 years now. I am pretty sure that she is in the final stages of the disease.She started out having the tremors in her right arm and hand. That was about it for a long time, up until the last couple of years. She started to really slow down. A few years ago, she started to walk with the assistance of a cane, and a couple of years ago, with the assistance of a 3 wheel walker. 6 months ago, she had fallen in her home. It was found that she had a tia stroke, which they call a mini stroke. And after that,she moved in with my husband and I. Quickly after that, she required 24 hour care. I now have to bathe her,brush her teeth, help feed her when she needs help,do mostly everything for her. She can no longer stand or get up by herself,and is in a wheel chair full time, and spends most of the day in bed. She has no appetite,either. She has gone down from 112 lb. to 95 lb. She also has had a problem with choking. 2 days ago, an ambulance took her to the hospital because she was choking on a piece of meat, and it had to be removed from her esophagus. She is now on a soft diet and is still choking, even on water. I called her doctor,and he is putting her on a thickening agent to be put in her water to make it easier to go down. She now also is experiencing morning dementia, which is new for her, and just started that about 2 months ago.She no longer can write or sign any thing. Her speech is impaired,too and has a difficult time with word retrieval.And another thing, she is always cold, no matter what the temperature is! I know that is common for parkinsons patients to experience. She has been put on appetite boosters, but they don't seem to help. And, she also takes a mild antidepressnt to help with her feelings of depression. She has a terrible time with her balance, and has fallen a few times trying to get up, or just sitting on the side of the bed. Good luck to you, and hope everything goes well for you and your Mom. I know it can be a difficult thing to deal with,for both of you.

[liser]

Thanks for the reply to the post. I will be praying for you and your mom. It sounds like we are also going into the final stages so much of what you said sounds too familier. I did not think of her being cold as one of them. We got her a warming blanket for Christmas that she adores. We are taking her this week to a specialist at one of the top 8 research hospitals on this in the country. This is so horible I still fell numb from it all. We got her in the hospital this past October and found out the then it was PD. It is really sad my 80 year old dad is holding down the fort with help during the day. Thanks again for your info and I will keep you in our prayers. Keep me posted.

[4point9]

About the choking, my Mom also is in the last stages of PD and to help not choke, which causes them to aspirate and get food in their lungs, remind your Mom to put her chin down to her chest when she swallows.
God bless, Rosemary

[Rhoda55]

Thank you for the tip to keep her from choking!I will remember that when I feed her next time. Are any of you a ful time caregiver for your parent? It is so hard to watch the changes they go through. It has been happening so fast over the last year. Mom needs to be physically lifted from the chair to the toilet,and likewise from the bed to the chair. It is not safe for her to attempt it on her own,although she forgets and tries from time to time. I have a herniated disc in my back, and it can provide a challenge at times to try and lift her into the chair.I have been having so much trouble getting her to eat. Today, she sat at the table picking at her food, almost for an hour and a half.Normally, after a while I just start feeding her. Today I had to help her and not get to close, I'v got the flu with a temp. At dinner time,she didn't want to eat said she ate lunch to late, and I told her no she didn't, it just seems that way because it took so long to get her food in her. She gives me such a hard time at meal time, she doesn't want this and she doesn't want that.She has an extremely demanding and difficult personality at times. I love her dearly but feel I am at my wits end. She got me up in the night last night twice to go potty, and tonight she wanted to stay up and watch a movie which is unusual for her.Normally I don't mind putting her to bed whenever, but of course today I felt like you know what. So that doesn't help. I am so sorry that I carried on like this,but it felt good to get it out,though! Believe me, it can be so difficult caring for a loved one with end stage parkinsons, but it can also be so rewarding at times, and at others I feel like I want to cry.