Legal / Financial / Insurance
This page gets you thinking about planning for your financial future and your employment situation with links to more detailed pages on each topic. Tips and resources for getting your financial affairs in order, your rights under the ADA, Social Security and long-term care insurance and information to help you do some creative insurance planning.
How You Can Help Employees Living And Working With Parkinson’s
It’s no secret employees are spending more time at work than they are elsewhere so your employees are going to expect a thing or two from their employer. According to SHRM.org, these are the top-six suggestions External Site employees living and working with Parkinson’s disease expect from their employer.
How Can People Cope With Parkinsons Disease
While PD usually progresses slowly, eventually daily routines may be affectedfrom socializing with friends to earning a living and taking care of a home. These changes can be difficult to accept. Support groups can help people cope with the diseases emotional impact. These groups also can provide valuable information, advice, and experience to help people with PD, their families, and their caregivers deal with a wide range of issues, including locating doctors familiar with the disease and coping with physical limitations. A list of national organizations that can help people locate support groups in their communities appears at the end of this information. Individual or family counseling may also help people find ways to cope with PD.
People with PD may also benefit from being proactive and finding out as much as possible about the disease in order to alleviate fear of the unknown and to take a positive role in maintaining their health. Many people with PD continue to work either full- or part-time, although they may need to adjust their schedule and working environment to accommodate their symptoms.
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How To Choose The Best Eating Utensils For Parkinson’s Patients
In best eating utensils for parkinson’s patients, prior understanding of the product is always important. Other performance-related factors may be included in these findings. For this reason, we recommend that you evaluate the product’s price to its value before making a decision.
Only you can avoid wasting your important time by performing thorough research and comparisons. To help you save time, we’ve already done the research and comparisons. With the best eating utensils for parkinson’s patients, you can get the performance you want in the quickest amount of time feasible, without sacrificing anything.
Vitamins For Parkinson’s Disease
Verywell / Michela Buttignol
Apart from traditional pharmaceutical treatments, if you have Parkinsons disease, your doctor may recommend vitamins with antioxidant properties. While it is best to get these from food sources as part of a healthy, balanced diet, some people need to take supplements. These vitamins include:
- Vitamin B12
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Amneal Tests A New Formulation
AmnealPharmaceuticals plans to report Phase III safety results for IPX-203, a reformulation of the common generic PD treatment combination of carbidopa and levodopa that could reduce symptom fluctuations. The company said the Phase III, open-label extension study will have results available by the end of the second quarter of 2022.
CD/LD can lead to troughs and spikes of plasma levels that generate side-effects like dyskinesia, Kordower explains. A new extended-release version of CD/LD could smooth out these drops, he notes.
If approved, IPX-203 will join several other marketed reformulations of CD/LD. Amneals own extended-release capsule Rytary, Schwarz Pharma s orally disintegrating tablet Parcopa, and AbbVie’s enteral suspension Duopa all have FDA approval in PD. A GlobalData consensus forecasts pegs peak IPX-203 sales at $127 million in 2028.
In a separate, placebo-controlled Phase III trial , IPX-203 resulted in 0.53 more hours of ON time than immediate-release CD/LD after seven weeks . Earlier, a six-week Phase II trial of IPX-203 reported no serious treatment-emergent adverse events among the 26 patients enrolled. Experts say the long-term safety data will be key in determining IPX-203s place among CD/LD formulations.
Benefits Of Exercise For People With Parkinsons Disease
Exercise has been shown to have several significant benefits for people with Parkinsons disease. These helpful effects seem to stem from two specific neurological changes that occur when you work out:
- The release of a chemical called dopamine: This positively impacts your movement, mood, and sensation of pain.
- Growth and change in the cortical striatum:This is an area of the brain that controls your voluntary movements.
These two exercise-related changes can result in many concrete advantages for people with Parkinsons, including:
- Improved balance
- Reduced sleep disruptions
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Where Is Drug Development Headed
Overall, experts say the Parkinson’s disease field aims to develop therapies that can slow or stop disease progression. Kordower notes several promising gene therapy and stem cell therapy approaches are entering the early stages of clinical development.
Most ongoing PD trials are at the Phase II stage, according to GlobalDatas Clinical Trial Database. While institutions are sponsoring 84 trials of the 133 ongoing Phase II studies , pharma companies are running 44 trials of the 56 ongoing Phase I studies .
As the field awaits results from the slew of ongoing trials, experts agree that the PD trials reading out in the remainder of 2022 could have a substantial impact. These four trials are all very timely, Eidelberg says. The community of movement disorder specialists and neurologists would use these drugs because the indications we’re talking about are really very common.
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Parkinsons Disease Condition And Symptoms
Parkinsons Disease is a progressive degenerative disorder that affects the central nervous system .
It is the result of the death of cells which contain dopamine in the midbrain. While some cases seem to have a genetic connection, the vast majority have no known cause.
The most common early symptom of Parkinsons Disease is a tremor, usually beginning in one of the hands, and usually happening when the hand is at rest.
One of the distinctive characteristics of this tremor is called pill rolling, a circular motion where the tip of the thumb meets the end of the index finger.
Another typical feature of Parkinsons is that the symptoms usually begin on one side of the body, with that sides symptoms consistently having a greater severity than those of the other side. Other motor symptoms associated with Parkinsons Disease include:
- Bradykinesia, or slowness of movement – this usually begins to affect fine motor skills such as writing, buttoning clothing, etc. and worsens to include gross motor skills like walking as the disease progresses.
- Rigidity of the limbs – due to excessive contraction of the muscles.
- Postural instability – balance can become difficult during later stages of the disease, leading to falls and bone fractures.
Other physical symptoms can include a forward-flexed walking posture, blank facial expression, speech problems, a shuffling gate, and the loss of some automatic movements such as blinking or swinging of the arms while walking.
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What If My Manager Doesn’t Know What To Do Or Does Nothing
If your manager doesn’t do anything to make the reasonable adjustments you need, you should contact the human resources department and explain your situation.
You can also contact the Access to Work scheme and apply for a grant. .
Take some time to think about what adjustments may help you, but remember that they have to be reasonable and something that your employer is able to do.
When considering whether it is reasonable to make a particular adjustment, your employer should take the following into account:
- Will the adjustment help you to do your job?
- How practical is the adjustment? For example, is it possible for you to access a database from home, or is there anyone to cover for you if you start work later in the day?
- What will the effect of the adjustment be? For example, what would the impact be in making changes to the building?
- How much will the changes cost the business, financially or otherwise? The type and size of your employer will be taken into account what is reasonable for a large employer may not be affordable for a small business.
- Would the changes be disruptive to your employer’s business?
- Is there any financial or other assistance available to help make reasonable adjustments? The Access to Work scheme may make a contribution to the cost of some adjustments.
Do I Have The Right To Ask For Flexible Working Hours
You may have a statutory right to ask your employer if you can work flexibly. This may mean changing your hours or working from home. Your right to make this request will depend on how long you have been working at your company . Your employer must give serious consideration to your request but they can refuse if there are good business reasons for doing so. Visit the government’s website to find out more about flexible working.
Remember that there is nothing stopping you from talking to your employer informally. For example, if you do not have 26 weeks service. This may also be appropriate if you need a temporary change to your role.
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The Americans With Disabilities Act
The Americans with Disabilities Act provides protection against discrimination towards people with disabilities. Job protection under the ADA is only applicable if the individual is disabled and informs their employer of their disability. Parkinsons disease in its advanced stages is considered a disability. The law requires that employers make reasonable accommodations for employees, as long as they do not impose an undue hardship on the employers business. Reasonable accommodations include modifications or adjustments to the job or the work environment that enable a person with disabilities to perform essential job functions. The Job Accommodation Network is a resource that shares accommodation ideas for people with PD.1-3
Foods That Are Hard To Chew
Another Parkinsons symptom is difficulty chewing and swallowing. In fact, its estimated that 80% of people with this condition experience difficulty swallowing as the disease progresses .
Choosing foods that are easy to chew and swallow may be important, as may working with a speech language therapist.
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How Do I Ask For Reasonable Adjustments
If you’re having problems doing your job or parts of your job, the first thing to do is to talk to your manager. If you need adjustments then you will need to tell them that you have a disability, but you don’t have to tell them you have Parkinson’s if you don’t want to.
Try to explain which part of your job is causing you a problem and what that problem is. For example, you may have difficulties travelling to work on public transport during rush hour because you can’t get a seat and find it hard to stand for long periods of time. Or you may have problems using a computer keyboard because of a tremor.
Don’t worry if you don’t have any suggestions for what reasonable adjustments may help you. Your manager can arrange for you to have an assessment with an occupational health specialist to find out what your problems are and to make suggestions for how to solve them.
What If I Need To Take Sick Leave
If you are not well enough to work you may need to take time off sick. You should follow your employer’s usual procedure for letting them know. This will include telling your employer immediately that you’re not able to work.
If you’re off sick for more than 7 days, you will need to arrange to get a doctor’s ‘fit note’ to give to your employer for statutory sick pay purposes. If you are off sick due to your Parkinson’s symptoms and haven’t told your employer about your condition yet, you may feel it’s best to do so before they get a fit note or letter from your doctor.
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Should I Tell My Colleagues
This is up to you, so take some time to consider what you think is best. Colleagues can be very supportive, and it may help to talk with someone you can trust at work. You may find that other colleagues are also carers. Together, you may be able to talk to your employer about ways you could be supported in juggling your job and caring.
How You Can Help Employees Living And Working With Parkinsons
Its no secret employees are spending more time at work than they are elsewhere so your employees are going to expect a thing or two from their employer. According to SHRM.org, these are the top-six suggestions External Site employees living and working with Parkinsons disease expect from their employer.
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Workplace Accommodations For Parkinsons Disease
- Flexible work schedule for example, starting later or finishing earlier to avoid traffic if travel is difficult. Or attending meetings from your desk rather than in person.
- Reduced hours your employer may offer you a part time work schedule or allow for scheduled breaks throughout the day to help you manage fatigue.
- Adjusting duties removing tasks that are difficult such as physically intense tasks or tasks with fine motor control. Reducing high stress tasks may also help with managing symptoms.
- Improving accessibility your employer may improve accessibility for you by providing things like a car park close to the building, handrails and automatic doors.
- Remote work working from home may reduce accessibility issues and help you manage fatigue better.
- Time off for medical appointments this may include counselling or therapy as well as doctors appointments.
- Ergonomic equipment making your work station more suitable such as having an ergonomic desk and chair with arm supports may assist with stiffness and mobility.
- Assistive technologies technologies such as speech recognition software, hands free phone and speech amplification may assist you to perform your job well.
Examples and solutions
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Can I Take Time Off For Medical Appointments Or For Treatments
Yes. You can ask to take time off work for your medical appointments or treatment as part of your reasonable adjustment agreement. Whether your employer agrees will depend upon whether the time off is reasonable in the circumstances.
Talk to your manager about how much time you think you need. If you know when your appointment is in advance, your employer should be able to allow you to take this time off .
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Is Parkinsons A Disability
Parkinsons Disease is considered a disability by the Social Security Administration According to the SSAs Blue Book, which is the list of conditions that can qualify for disability benefits.
Parkinsons Disease is located in section 11.06 of the SSAs Blue Book. If you have Parkinsons and you are not able to work for at least 12 months or longer because of your disease, you may be able to qualify for Social Security disability benefits and be considered disabled by the SSA.
In order to qualify for disability with Parkinsons, the SSA will examine all of your medical records and documentation to see if closely matches the listing for Parkinsons in the SSAs Blue Book.
In order for Parkinsons to be considered a disability, the following needs to be met despite taking prescribed treatment for three consecutive months:
Disorganization of motor function in two extremities, that results in an extreme limitation in being able to stand up from a seated position, balance while standing or walking, or use the upper extremities.
Or a Marked limitation and physical function in one of the following:
- Understanding, remembering, or applying information
- Interacting with others
- Concentrating, persisting, or maintaining pace
- Adapting or managing oneself
If you are able to match these listings, then you will be deemed disabled by the SSA and you will qualify for Social Security Disability benefits.
Our Commitment To Equity Diversity And Inclusion
We are strongly committed to inclusion and diversity within its community and welcomes all applicants including but not limited to:
- visible minorities
- LGBTQ2S+ persons
- all others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas
We are committed to providing accessible employment practices that are in compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act . If you require accommodation for disability during any stage of the recruitment process, please indicate this in your cover letter.
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For How Long Should I Continue Working
How long you continue to work will partly depend on how much Parkinsons affects your ability to carry out your role. You should not assume that you can no longer work. In fact some people find that keeping busy and continuing their work helps them to manage the condition more successfully. But if you have a particularly active or demanding job you may find it harder to continue at the same pace.
If your symptoms or medication side effects begin to interfere with work, your doctor should review your treatment. If they make it potentially dangerous to continue in your present job , you should ask about moving to another position within the company.
Eat Plenty Of Protein But Not With Levodopa Medications
If youre taking a levodopa medication, your doctor may tell you to avoid protein when taking your meds. Both animal and plant protein can interfere with the absorption of levodopa medications.
But you should still eat plenty of protein. Just be strategic with the timing. Dont take levodopa medications with meals, Dr. Gostkowski says. Its best to take it on an empty stomach either 30 minutes before your meal or an hour after eating.
If you get nauseous from the medication, eat a small amount of starchy food with it, such as crackers. Make sure whatever you eat with your medicine doesnt have protein. Its a misunderstanding that people with Parkinsons should avoid protein, Dr. Gostkowski says. You definitely need protein in your diet. Just dont eat it when youre taking your levodopa medication.
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