I spoke to my mom’s neurologist about her Parkinson’s disease.
He informed me that Parkinson’s disease effects everyone differently.
It also depends on when a person is diagnosed.
He also told me that when a person is diagnosed younger in life the disease progresses more rapidly.
My mom was diagnosed later in life so the disease progressed at a much slower pace.
It’s a brutal disease that becomes challenging to live with as it progresses.
Some people have dementia with Parkinson’s disease and others don’t.
Some like my mom develop only mild dementia at a very late stage.
My uncle lived to be 96 with his Parkinson’s disease. He suffered terribly the last few years of his life but his was slower progressing like my mom. He had no dementia.
Mom is 95 and is in a hospice house.
She can no longer turn herself over in bed. She is completely bed bound.
She doesn’t eat much but she has never been a big eater. She is extremely thin.
I am incredibly grateful to her nurses and caregivers. They are incredibly compassionate and take wonderful care of her.
They go above and beyond to keep her comfortable.
Amazingly, she hasn’t needed any pain meds.
She only takes her Sinamet and a very low dose of Seroquel.
Due to Covid only two people can visit at the time but I FaceTime with others so mom gets to see them. Mom loves that. My daughter in Denver FaceTimes with her all the time. My godson does too. Lots of nieces, nephews and cousins do too.
I do take comfort knowing that mom is receiving excellent care.
She would never be able to receive the care that she is receiving at home like she is there.
They are equipped with a staff to care for patients 24/7.
This place is remarkable because there are only three beds.
They love their job and it shows in their care.
Anyone who has done caregiving absolutely knows what a tough job it is!
My heart goes out to all hospice caregivers.
Mom has a catheter in so she is always dry.
They change her adult underwear as soon as needed.
They do large piece puzzles with her sometimes.
They develop a relationship with the patients. It’s really beautiful to see.
They are just as kind to my brothers and me.
I watched my brother being cared for by a hospice staff in an end of life hospice house too.
He was kept comfortable too. Plus, they offer a social worker, clergy and the most incredible nursing staff and aides.
I believe it’s a calling to work in hospice. I truly do.
Not everyone is called to it but those who are, are truly a blessing to others.
I would highly recommend looking into receiving care from a hospice house if it is available.
As with any other disease, Parkinson's is as individual to a person, as unique, as his or her own fingerprint. People can give you averages. They mean nothing. Your own MD is the best one to "guess" at a longevity prognosis, and that MD will almost certainly tell you that this is ONLY a guess. So many things figure into an answer. The disease may progress more quickly or more slowly in a person. The general health of the person may figure. There is the random occurrences of which systems are affected, and how badly. There is the level of care. There determination or lack of determination of the person or work with rehab in order to remain more or less active. All of these factors, and so many more figure in the final outcome. Wish we could help on this one. I am afraid you are left with the very unsatisfactory guesses in terms of averages.
Ditto to what JoAnn answered. I know 2 men who have it. One was in his 80s and he didn't get the dementia part until close to the end of his life but he had PD for probably 8-10 yrs. My friend who was diagnosed at a younger age, like 65 and very healthy otherwise, is progressing more rapidly, even with excellent healthcare. He's about 2 years into it (from diagnosis so he may have had it longer but I doubt it) and he is beginning to have some cognitive issues. So, very different for each person.
He informed me that Parkinson’s disease effects everyone differently.
It also depends on when a person is diagnosed.
He also told me that when a person is diagnosed younger in life the disease progresses more rapidly.
My mom was diagnosed later in life so the disease progressed at a much slower pace.
It’s a brutal disease that becomes challenging to live with as it progresses.
Some people have dementia with Parkinson’s disease and others don’t.
Some like my mom develop only mild dementia at a very late stage.
My uncle lived to be 96 with his Parkinson’s disease. He suffered terribly the last few years of his life but his was slower progressing like my mom. He had no dementia.
Mom is 95 and is in a hospice house.
She can no longer turn herself over in bed. She is completely bed bound.
She doesn’t eat much but she has never been a big eater. She is extremely thin.
I am incredibly grateful to her nurses and caregivers. They are incredibly compassionate and take wonderful care of her.
They go above and beyond to keep her comfortable.
Amazingly, she hasn’t needed any pain meds.
She only takes her Sinamet and a very low dose of Seroquel.
Due to Covid only two people can visit at the time but I FaceTime with others so mom gets to see them. Mom loves that. My daughter in Denver FaceTimes with her all the time. My godson does too. Lots of nieces, nephews and cousins do too.
I do take comfort knowing that mom is receiving excellent care.
She would never be able to receive the care that she is receiving at home like she is there.
They are equipped with a staff to care for patients 24/7.
This place is remarkable because there are only three beds.
They love their job and it shows in their care.
Anyone who has done caregiving absolutely knows what a tough job it is!
My heart goes out to all hospice caregivers.
Mom has a catheter in so she is always dry.
They change her adult underwear as soon as needed.
They do large piece puzzles with her sometimes.
They develop a relationship with the patients. It’s really beautiful to see.
They are just as kind to my brothers and me.
I watched my brother being cared for by a hospice staff in an end of life hospice house too.
He was kept comfortable too. Plus, they offer a social worker, clergy and the most incredible nursing staff and aides.
I believe it’s a calling to work in hospice. I truly do.
Not everyone is called to it but those who are, are truly a blessing to others.
I would highly recommend looking into receiving care from a hospice house if it is available.
Wishing you all the best.
Take care.
Wish we could help on this one. I am afraid you are left with the very unsatisfactory guesses in terms of averages.