Children of Parents with PD Community Group

My Mom has PD and I am her sole caregiver. I am here seeking support, advice, new treatment options, information and I thought this might help all of us "kids" who are looking to help their parent and themselves as this is a joint journey to some extent.

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Research study on PD and behavioral problems

Bridges
Bridges
Did anyone see the ad in the Sunday coupon circulars a couple of weeks ago for an outfit called www.parkinsonsmindbody.com? They are doing a research study with a new drug for people over 40 who exhibit "unusual behaviors like: Seeing, feeling or hearing things that are not really there. Sometimes, friends and family are suspected of things, such as stealing or cheating on them."

Personally, I don't think it's the Parkinson's causing these behaviors--I think it's the meds that are used to TREAT the Parkinson's. And I don't know as I would want to participate in a research study like this. But I put it out there for those who might be interested.
deleted_user
deleted_user
I didn't see the ad, but looked at the link you provided. I'm not sure about a study like this, but I do know it is a very difficult part of any disease to help thme through and very hard on caregivers.

I think the Parkinson's meds can absolutely cause these side effects in some people and the adding more and more meds to handle side effects can be such a slippery slope.

I do want to share that my Father has had behavior issues (paranoia, delusions) for many years and he does not take PD specific meds. These can manifest without the meds, but it is not the norm. Lewy Body, other forms of dementia, stroke, so many things can add to this when there is a neurological issue going on. It's hard to know what disease causes what any longer and you have to look very "big picture" sometimes.

I did see a study that I'm very interested in though. The VA and Mayo Clinic I believe are partnering on research related to PD found in soldiers. The head injuries, concusions and other nerve damage often found in those that have combat related injuries could be a cause of PD. They have found a higher percentage of soldiers with PD compared to the regular public and will be digging in. This could be critical to providing care resources for those who develop PD. This currently is not considers a disability related to combat, is very expensive to provide care for and this finding could help so many families.

I'm going to look more into this next week and I'll keep you posted of what I find out.
Bridges
Bridges
That's great news on that VA study, Pounder! Please do keep all of us posted! I read somewhere that one group has a theory that it's not head injuries that cause PD after all, but leg and foot injuries--even in childhood. I did a little private poll of my friends here on DS, and some of the people with PD *did* have that kind of injury. Very tantalizing. Also, one of my friends here has just been diagnosed with Lyme Disease--and LD has been known to mimic other diseases, including ALS, MS, and PD! So there's always the possibility that my Dad really doesn't have PD at all, just worsening LD. However, the Sinemet helps him so though I feel bad he has to take it, as long as we can keep him on a really low dose, I'll rest easy.