May 29, 2024
Welcome to The Climb, your weekly journey with Lifecycle Sherpa, where we explore Parkinson’s Disease, its symptoms, treatments, tips, techniques, and build a supportive and knowledgeable community.
This week’s trail leads us to…a follow up with a Neurologist who specializes in Movement Disorders.
Question: What is the number one thing you can recommend to patients to prepare them for a visit with you?
Answer: “I always recommend that my patients write everything down ahead of time, but I also ask their caregivers to write down what they are noticing and I ask them to be present for appointments. It is not that I do not trust the patient to relay information correctly, but that caregivers and family members notice things that the patient may not.”
“For example. A person may be have very minimal hallucinations that they feel are not worth bringing up because they are not bothered by them. However, family members are noticing that the patient is dodging their head or body quickly in one direction and barely missing hitting walls or objects when walking as a result. While the patient doesn’t see this as a problem, the family may.”
“There is always a collective decision between the patient, the caregiver, and feedback from the myself about how to best manage the issue, but it is important to ALWAYS BRING IT UP!”
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See you next week!