PARKINSON’S DISEASE: PLANNING FOR THE WHAT-IFS

APDA’s A Closer Look blog tackles the challenges of advanced Parkinson’s disease

It’s hard to think about the tough stuff. The what-ifs, the worst-case scenarios, the unknowns.

PD is progressive, which means that it gets worse with time. However, for many of you, the worsening is gradual, maybe even imperceptible at times. This affords you many years of good living – exercising, spending time with family, maybe even working.

Yet for some, PD can become advanced and much more difficult to navigate than what is described above, both in terms of motor and non-motor symptoms. And while you should not dwell on all of the negative possibilities that may lie ahead, it is wise to be aware of what may come so you can be prepared for tougher times, if that is in your future.

To help you, APDA has created a special series of blog posts that address different aspects of advanced PD — advice for how to plan ahead and how to navigate the bigger challenges that may come your way.

As part of the popular A Closer Look blog, Dr. Rebecca Gilbert, together with Dr. Pravin Khemani, a Movement Disorders specialist in Seattle, WA, address this sensitive topic and arm you with useful information that will help guide you should you need it now or much further down the road.

Topics include mental health, immobility, end of life issues, planning and prognosis and more. Four segments of the series have already been posted, with more to come. Check them out at www.apdaparkinson.org/blog. You can also subscribe to the blog to make sure you don’t miss any future postings.