WHAT PARENTS WHO HAVE PD SHOULD SAY to THEIR CHILDREN: The Parkinson's Disease Society (www.parkinsons.org.uk) offers pertinent advice and counsel to those parents who have both PD and children. "A key message seems to be open and honest" when talking to your kids, the PDS Information Sheet suggests. "Don't keep it a secret." As soon as you are diagnosed with PD, explain to them what it means to your health and to their lives as part of the family as a whole.
Don't be vague or apologetic, the PDS suggests. Be specific and clear, and fully explain that PD is not contagious. Because of the fatigue associated with PD - and the "on-off fluctuations" that are inevitable - parents with PD may not be able to spend as much time with their children, and won't be able to get involved in as many activities as they would like to be involved with. To back that up, PDS writes about a real-life woman with PD named Tracy, who has a daughter, eight years old, named Ysabel.
There are times when I'm just waiting for her to get into bed, so I can get into bed straight afterwards!" Tracy explains. "Anything that involves an excursion (a walk or swimming) is very hard, especially as I mostly use a wheelchair when we go out." That said, Tracy also mentions that having a loving child like Ysabel gives Tracy "motivation to carry on when my Parkinson's is bad, or when I'm feeling down."
With all that children, in particular teenagers, have to cope with in this period (temptations with drugs, sex, gangs, electronic games and the Internet), "Parkinson's can be a very difficult extra burden to handle," the PDS article asserts. Another parent quoted by PDS is Gerry, who tries to put himself in his child's shoes, "a child with a parent with a condition like this, but to be honest, I can't really...
Fortunately my father's symptoms early on have been quite mild thus far. With the exception of some slight tremors in the hands now, my father exhibits relatively few of the debilitating or crippling symptoms associated with Parkinson's. Though this may change with time, our hope is that new therapies and treatments will soon be discovered to extend and continue to improve the quality of life for patients with Parkinson's
Assistance for Parents With Complex Illness Parents of Children w / Complex Illness Raising a child that is perfect healthy is daunting enough of a task in today's world. It is true that things like culture, economics and current events can all have some sway in the outcomes and perceptions of parents and their children but as long as a child is healthy most of these can be overcome. However, injecting the
Adult children who are forced to take on the responsibility of caring for a parent with Alzheimer's are specially vulnerable to bouts of depression, both severe and mild, which may be prolonged until well after the period of caring for the individual with Alzheimer's disease is over. In research reviewing the psychological impact of adult children caring for their parent's with Alzheimer's, "studies have found that caregivers of people
Huntington's disease (HD) was the first autonomic dominant disorder for which genetic prediction became possible" (Harper, et al., 2000, Journal of Medical Genetics, p. 567). HD is a disease that occurs due to an inherited disorder leading to the death of brain cells. A diagnosis of HD is accomplished through genetic testing which can be implemented at any age regardless of whether the symptoms manifest or not. Although, the specific
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Phobias The video provides statistics that state that the lifetime prevalence rate of OCD is three percent with 30 to 50% in children of ages 7 to 11 having the disorder. The treatment includes Prozac and Zoloft, which improves the disorder, if taken regularly for several weeks. Cognitive behavioral therapy is also one of the treatments that can be used for children. Parents have an important role
There are things parents can do to help children who have a parent suffering from Parkinson's disease. They can make sure the children understand the disease and how it affects the parent. They can build a support network of friends and relatives to help out when necessary and to nurture the children when they need it. One man, married to a wife with Parkinson's writes, "Strong wrote her book at
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