Caring for a parent can be hard. Emotionally it is a role reversal and that takes a lot of getting used to on both sides.

I think your concern for your father's dignity is excellent!

When my Dad began to decline he did not want to get up in the morning. We just kept after him. It was always stuff like 5 more minutes... no dad. NOW.

Dignity has to go at some point when a person needs help. There are some things we have to do to help our parents that require some loss of dignity.

Dignity can always be maintained through out this process however dad is very prideful and has been the rock of the family the one who solved all problems ! My father sought to do for himself I watched him at a close distance and waited patiently for the moment he realized he needed my help and was willingly accepting of it . Patience is the key in knowing when to interject at the right time. Sometimes you will have to help as he screams saying he does not need anyone's help just simply say to him " you may not need me 5 mins from now or even tomorrow but right now this minute you need me"

God bless

I think it's a good idea to get him on a routine regimen for medications. This could help a lot. He may also as you say, need an adjustment.

There does come a time as Pep mentioned that the role reversal has to happen and you will need to persuade him or simply put your foot down.

I've had to do this with my mother on occasion and she hates it but if she doesn't take her meds when she's supposed to and eats all the wrong foods that interfere with her medication; then I stand my ground whether she likes it or not. Keeping their dignity is very important so if you can persuade or suggest rather than demand, it always works better in the end.

You are right to discuss his meds with his physician. Timing of meds makes a huge difference with Parkinson's. Your doctor needs this info to properly treat these freezes.

He may be much more agreeable if he feels better. Progressive neuro disease often needs tweeking with meds and symptoms can wax and wane so you should consider a call to the doctor as soon as changes happen.

Hope this helps

I agree with what the others have written, but wanted to reach out to you since I'm also "an unmarried gal, no kids" like you who is caring for a parent with PD. In my case, it's my mother. My mother has no tremors but a lot of rigidity and slowness as well, plus some cognitive issues now that her PD is advanced.

My mother also takes quite some time to get up in the mornings, although she wakes up early to take her first 1.5 Sinemet at 6:30 a.m. These days, she'll linger in bed until around 8 a.m., so there's no need to push her to get her day started. Unlike your father, my mother wants everyone to cater to her, with the exception of a renewed desire to walk with her walker after a year of being wheelchair bound before a foot surgery enabled her to get some balance back. This desire to be catered to is part of the clinical apathy that comes from PD. (She was always very independent and a real go-getter before PD.) Many people with PD have apathy and anxiety, like my mother, but more have depression. Perhaps your father's lack of inertia, as you call it, stems from depression?

Depending on how advanced your father's PD is, there comes a time when people with PD (PWP) will slow down a lot, eventually becoming bedridden. Sadly, it's part of the disease progression.

My suggestion would be to make sure that he gets his Sinemet on time because timeliness with this med. is critical. (I could write a page on this topic alone!) I gave my mother little leeway when she wanted to "wait a few minutes." In the past year, as her PD advances, she's no longer asking to wait, actually wanting it earlier these days.

Nudging your father to get up and start his day earlier is a good idea, but I wouldn't get upset or angry with him about it as long as he is as active as possible when he is up. Exercise is critical to keeping the advancement of PD at bay, even if he's only able to walk a bit. The more bed-bound he is, the quicker the decline becuase of muscle atrophy and increased rigidity, etc.

Dose adjustment....hmmm...That's an on-going issue, isn't it? Meds and dosages need to be adjusted periodically. We've gone months without changing anything and, other times, a mere couple of weeks. It's my mother's decision what she wants and needs, together with her neurologist, but I advise her along the way. She wants to make changes again now -- to shorten the time between Sinemet dosages -- but I'm reluctant since she's already on a pretty hefty dosage of Amantadine to control her dyskinesia, which dose will probably have to be increased even more if we make the Sinemet change. Then, too, there are the cognitive issues that come with all such changes...ugh.

I'd definitely welcome more dialog between us and others who care for someone with PD. The Parkinon's Disease page here on Daily Strength is quite good, but it's focus is all on the people with PD and not the caregivers. I've had contact with other adult children of PWP, but it's in spurts...and three of the four with whom I had some contact have now lost their parent with PD. In short, I'm here if/when you want to share ideas and concerns, whether here in an open forum or behind the scenes. Best wishes with your father. :-)