Tools To Help With Parkinson’s Disease

Squatty Potty The Original Bathroom Toilet Stool Slim Teak

• Discreet and easy to stow away

• Helps you achieve a natural squat position and easier bowel movements

• More attractive than plastic stools

• Standard 7 height, not adjustable

• Many customers complain of poor construction and quality

Constipation is one of the common non-movement symptoms of Parkinsons disease, which is why many with the condition could benefit from a toilet stool. The Squatty Potty Slim Teak lifts your feet while sitting on the toilet to mimic a natural squat. While the act of pooping is anything but glamorous, the Squatty Potty has a sleek design that will add to any bathroom decor. Its also easy to clean and tuck away.

Exercise Interventions In Pd Patients With Frailty

In 8 frail and pre-frail PD patients, core exercise training using an assistive lumbar support worn during exercise for five consecutive days resulted in improvements in timed 10-meter walk, step-length, timed up and go and chair stands in 30s . The timed 10-meter walk improved from 15.3s at baseline to 9.6s at the end of the intervention with the improvement maintained at 3-months . Step-length improved from 0.37m to 0.51m at the end of the intervention, as did TUG , and chair stands in 30s .

In the second exercise intervention study, 18 patients with PD participated in exercise classes three times per week for 12-weeks . The classes included Tai Chi, rhythmic cycling and strength and conditioning circuit classes . Between baseline and the end of the 12-week exercise intervention, the quantitative timed up and go frailty index improved .

Is Early Diagnosis Possible

Experts are becoming more aware of symptoms of Parkinsons that precede physical manifestations. Clues to the disease that sometimes show up before motor symptoms and before a formal diagnosis are called prodromal symptoms. These include the loss of sense of smell, a sleep disturbance called REM behavior disorder, ongoing constipation thats not otherwise explained and mood disorders, such as anxiety and depression.

Research into these and other early symptoms holds promise for even more sensitive testing and diagnosis.

For example, biomarker research is trying to answer the question of who gets Parkinsons disease. Researchers hope that once doctors can predict that a person with very early symptoms will eventually get Parkinsons disease, those patients can be appropriately treated. At the very least, these advances could greatly delay progression.

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Agilitas Wearable: Improves Freezing Gait Symptom For Better Mobility

Agilitas Wearable for Parkinsons improves freezing gait

What we loved about Agilitas:

• Helps to reduce freezing gait by providing the wearer with a visual cue to prompt continued motion.

• Improves mobility in Parkinsons patients to allow them to stay independent for longer and reduce the likelihood of falls

• Automatic and manual modes available

• The simple and discreet device

The Agilitas wearable is a simple, black disc that you can wear on your clothing around the hip area to help with the freezing gait symptom thats common to Parkinsons Disease. It uses a motion-sensing algorithm to detect when youre about to freeze. It then shines a small red dot on the floor to visually cue your brain as to where the next steps should go.

“Agilitas represents a revolutionary approach to the treatment of freezing of gait. It harnesses sophisticated 21st-century technology to create a discreet, powerful, yet elegantly simple solution. Agilitas promises to improve the quality of life of countless patients with Parkinsons Disease. Endorsed by Dr Rodney Marsh FRANZCP MBBS

You can use it in automatic mode, where the Agilitas will detect when youre about to freeze on its own. Alternatively, there is the manual mode where you can tap it once to turn on the light on your own. And double tapping it keeps the light on permanently good for areas with many obstacles. There is also now a cane attachment included.

What we loved about Rollz

Caregiver Corner: Tools To Help You Cope

Whether you care for someone who only requires help with basic tasks or for someone who requires daily physical care, utilizing the proper tools can help care partners provide the best support for their loved one with Parkinsons disease .

Think of caregiving as a home: when you move into a new house, you furnish it, make it a place you feel comfortable in and invite your friends and family over to celebrate. Moving into this new role as a care partner requires a similar level of rearranging. It will take time to get used to the new normal, but you will feel that comfort again. The first step is to learn what coping skills work for you.

Research shows that care partners face risks to their own emotional and physical health, which is why it is vital to prioritize coping tools to address the stress associated with caregiving. Examples of declined physical health in care partners include higher incidences of heart disease, high blood pressure, decreased immunity to sickness, anxiety and sleep deprivation.

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The Importance Of Web Accessibility For People With Parkinsons Disease

Technology and the Internet have greatly improved the lives of millions of people around the world. However, its important that the designers and creators of this technology make strides to include as many people as possible in their visions.

People with Parkinsons disease experience challenges using the Internet that arent always obvious to people without a motor or cognitive disability. For example, the hand tremors caused by Parkinsons can make it hard for people to use a standard mouse or even a keyboard. The dementia present in some people with Parkinsons can also cause a decline in their capabilities for memory, reasoning, and problem solving.

For people with Parkinsons, interacting with small website elements, or elements that are very close to each other, may be difficult or impossible without accidentally activating the wrong control. As a result, many people with Parkinsons choose to interact with their computer using voice recognition software. They may also use an oversized keyboard or a keyguard, a plastic or metal plate that sits on top of the keyboard and that prevents accidental mistypes.

Parkinsons Disease And Wcag 20

Recognizing the challenges posed by impairments such as Parkinsons disease and other disabilities, web accessibility experts have developed the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0. The most widely recognized standard for web accessibility, WCAG 2.0 establishes a set of standards at three different compliance levels that websites must follow in order to call themselves accessible.

WCAG 2.0 includes several metrics that are relevant for motor and cognitive disabilities such as Parkinsons, including:

• The websites functionality must be entirely accessible via the use of a keyboard, without requiring specific timings for individual keystrokes. If users can move onto a page element via the keyboard, then they can also move away from it as well.
• Whenever possible, content must not be time-limited, or the user is able to extend or adjust the time limit.
• The websites interface and navigation are consistent across pages. Multiple navigational elements, such as the order of pages in a drop-down list, are always repeated in the same order.
• Any input errors automatically detected by the website are indicated to the user, and the website provides suggestions for correcting the errors.

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Depression May Be An Early Symptom Of Parkinsons

Depression is one of the most common, and most disabling, non-motor symptoms of Parkinsons disease. As many as 50 per cent of people with Parkinsons experience the symptoms of clinical depression at some stage of the disease. Some people experience depression up to a decade or more before experiencing any motor symptoms of Parkinsons.

Clinical depression and anxiety are underdiagnosed symptoms of Parkinsons. Researchers believe that depression and anxiety in Parkinsons disease may be due to chemical and physical changes in the area of the brain that affect mood as well as movement. These changes are caused by the disease itself.

Here are some suggestions to help identify depression in Parkinsons:

• Mention changes in mood to your physician if they do not ask you about these conditions.
• Complete our Geriatric Depression Scale-15 to record your feelings so you can discuss symptoms with your doctor. Download the answer key and compare your responses.

• delusions and impulse control disorders

Make Your Loved Ones Life A Little Easier With These Thoughtful Gifts

Sarah is a freelance writer with a focus on health and wellness. She has written for publications like Womens Health, Healthline, and Parents. She taught creative writing for five years, and has a bachelors degree in English from Southern Connecticut State University.

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Parkinsons disease is a progressive disorder that develops as a result of losing dopamine-producing neurons. These cells are mainly located in the part of the brain called substantia nigra pars compacta, explains movement disorders neurologist and Parkinsons expert Lynda Nwabuobi, MD. With degeneration of these cells and hence, depletion of dopamine, Parkinsons disease includes symptoms such as tremor, bradykinesia , and rigidity manifest.

This condition can make it more difficult to complete everyday tasks, like moving about the house, putting on clothes, and even speaking. It can be challenging to manage Parkinsons, especially on your own, so having friends and family there to support really can make the difference. Dr. Nwabuobi says its important to remember that Parkinsons is not fatal and many people live full enriched lives with the condition.

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Assistive Technology And Device Tips

As you explore assistive technology, keep these tips in mind:

• Many assistive devices are commercially available through major retailers and online.
• Talk to your care team before using or purchasing medical-related equipment.
• A written prescription may be needed for items such as a lift chair, walker, or wheelchair to be covered by your insurance provider. Your care team can help you navigate insurance reimbursement when applicable.

For more detailed information, utilize this online list of assistive and adaptive daily living aids developed by Chicagos Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, an innovative, research-driven rehabilitation institution affiliated with Northwestern University, a Parkinsons Foundation Center of Excellence.

Challenges Opportunities And New Directions

A major challenge regarding wider adoption of these tools may be the phones themselves, since many have been designed and manufactured for users with unimpaired dexterity and steady fine movements of the fingers. Individuals with PD face the same limitations while using a computer keyboard. Such challenges have been eased by the emergence of intelligent personal assistant software. IPA is a software agent that can perform tasks or services for an individual. These tasks or services are based on user input, location awareness, and the ability to access information from a variety of online sources. IPAs have made life easier in general but can be much more beneficial for people who are experiencing impaired motor abilities, such as those with PD.

Examples of such an agent are Apples Siri, Google Home, Google Now, Samsungs S Voice, LG G3s Voice Mate, and BlackBerrys Assistant. Some IPAs adapt to the users individual language and search preferences with continuing use, allowing for individualized results.

Desktop computers with keyboard and mouse are adjustable according to patients needs by using a voice control system. Other adaptive software is available that automatically smoothes the mouse cursor motion to reduce the effects of unsteady or tremulous hands. Additionally, desktop keyboards with oversized keys make typing easier for individuals with Parkinsons disease.

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Memory Foam Bath Mats

The instinct might be to simply remove kitchen rugs. But floor mats can help with visual tracking as well as cushion joints. Elaine suggests rug grippers for those youre not ready to let go of, and White praises memory foam bath mats over kitchen rugs entirely. Theyre cheaper and easier to clean!

Finding The Right Tool

We did worry the strength of the massage gun would be too much for him. Apart from being very strong on the person being massaged, the vibration from holding the gun itself can also feel your hand feeling a bit tingly after holding the gun.

However, he ended up finding a mini version of the gun – Hypersphere Mini. This version is a lot smaller and is actually a lot easier to use for longer periods of time. It doesnt come with as many massage heads but those can be bought separately.

Since he bought the massage gun, my father just runs it along his neck, down his back, along his calves, as well as under his feet. He sometimes pushes it and does it for longer than the recommended 15 minutes a day written on the box.

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The Ultimate Cost Of Using Advanced Therapies Is Zero

Per Odin believes that there are several reasons explaining why far too few Parkinsons patients have access to advanced therapies. The treatments require more work and effort than simply continuing to give patients tablets, and it is difficult for the doctors to determine when it is really time for therapies. The financial costs are an influencing factor behind which decision is made. A pump treatment with L-dopa costs EUR 45,000 per year and deep electrode stimulation in the range of EUR 30,000 per operation.

In a collaboration with the Swedish Institute for Health Economics in Lund, Per Odins research group recently published health economic data in an article that shows that the overall net cost of advanced therapies in Sweden is zero. With advanced therapy, patients can often stay longer at work and avoid hospitalisation. The savings in providing medical care for patients are so great that they cover the full cost of the therapy.

The difficulties are, of course, that the savings are primarily made in the municipalities financial accounts while the healthcare services incurs takes the costs. But just the knowledge that it is so I think can have a certain impact. We can give these patients and their relatives a better quality of life without a greater financial cost to the society when considered from an overall perspective.

Measurement Tools To Assess Activities Of Daily Living In Patients With Parkinsons Disease: A Systematic Review

• 1Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
• 2CNSCampus Neuroloígico, Torres Vedras, Portugal
• 3Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal
• 4European School of Physiotherapy, Hogeschool Van Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
• 5Algarve Biomedical Center Research Institute, Algarve, Portugal
• 6Laboratory of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal

Introduction: Parkinsons disease is associated with a progressive inability to accomplish essential activities of daily living resulting in a loss of autonomy and quality of life. Accurate measurement of ADL in PD is important to monitor disease progression and optimize care. Despite its relevance, it is still unclear which measurement instruments are the most suitable for evaluating ADL in people with PD.

Objective: To identify and critically appraise which measurement instruments have been used to assess ADL in PD.

MDS-UPDRS and the S& E scale were the only two scales that could be classified as recommended. For the MDS-UPDRS, either the full version or only Part II, which is focused on ADL, can be used. Future studies should explore the use of wearable devices to assess ADL remotely and more continuously.

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Living Well With Parkinson’s

While medication and DBS surgery are the most effective treatments for PD, individuals often choose to delay these treatments because of their adverse side effects. Until a therapy is developed that can halt the progression of PD, there is a significant need for strategies that provide symptom relief without causing negative side effects.

Diet, Exercise, and Stress Reduction

Findings from several studies suggest that exercise has the potential to provide relief from certain PD symptoms. Anecdotally, people with Parkinsons disease who exercise typically do better. However, many questions remain. Among them is whether exercise provides a conditioning effect by strengthening muscles and improving flexibility or whether it has a direct effect on the brain.

In an NINDS-funded trial comparing the benefits of tai chi, resistance training, and stretching, tai chi was found to reduce balance impairments in people with mild-to-moderate PD. People in the tai chi group also experienced significantly fewer falls and greater improvements in their functional capacity.

Technologies that Improve Quality of Life

Pulse Brands Adaptive Utensils Premium Silverware:

• Prevents shaky hands from affecting the ability to eat independently, making mealtime easier for those with limited grip, weak hands and weak wrists, limited mobility, and trouble with functional movement.
• Non-Slip, Wide Grip: Each of our non-weighted adaptive utensils features a wider ribbed handle with raised, textured grips to improve control and dexterity.
• 4-Piece Set: Every order comes with four eating utensils, including a fork, knife, dinner spoon and a soup spoon. A very helpful set of built up utensils that cover a wide range of meals.
• Built With Durability: Along with a food-grade safe silicone handle, each utensil is made with high quality stainless steel that is dishwasher safe.
• 100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEED! We are so confident about the quality of our products, we will refund your purchase if you are not satisfied.

Pulse adaptive premium silverware is a beautiful set of cutlery suitable for use by the elderly with weak muscles due to arthritis, tremors, and other conditions. They have an ergonomic design for easy handling and are made of non-slip rubber handles.

Your loved ones will enjoy their meals, which will boost their overall nutrition. In addition, they help stabilize hand movements and control tremors. You will get good value for money by ordering this set which is not only reasonably priced but also made of high-quality stainless steel and silicone.

Pros:

• Slightly lighter for extreme hand tremors.

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