Hi everyone,
I’m looking for advice or help on my Dad’s rapidly decreasing health. He is falling over all the time now, falling out of bed, hallucinating, but refusing to follow routine on his meds.
My sister is with him and my mum every day, but it’s at the point where it can’t be managed without help or by him going into some form of care. It is breaking my Mum and my sister.
Does anyone have any advice or recommendations to help, please?!
Hi and welcome to the forum, @raindogs78. We have a warm and friendly bunch of members here and they will have words of wisdom and experience to share with you.
That’s sad to hear. When Parkinson’s advances, it takes an even bigger toll on caring family members and friends. I’m sorry to hear your dad’s health has decreased and that your mum and sister are finding it difficult to cope. No one likes to feel that they’re not well enough to manage the usual daily activities. This can be hard for everyone.
Have you had a chance to talk to your Parkinson’s nurse about how things are going? If not, your GP can step in. Some changes in medication can often be very helpful.
We have some useful information on Advanced Parkinsons here: Advanced Parkinson's | Parkinson's UK. Another very important thing to consider is how to take care of yourselves during this challenging time. Your mental health is so vital, not only to you personally, but to help you cope with the changing situation: Supporting someone with Parkinson's | Parkinson's UK. Your dad is very lucky to have you all on his side and you deserve to be as happy and as well as you can be.
You can also call our Helpline advisers to have a chat and see what they might suggest: 0808 800 0303. It’s open Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm and Saturday, 10am to 2pm.
Do take care and let us know how things go.
Janice
Forum Moderation Team
Hello,
As Janice has already said, GP, PD nurse or Neurologist might be able to chat with your dad about meds, maybe hearing it from a professional that a routine with medication is very important, he may take it in better? Or having meds reviewed and adjusted very slowly might help. The helpline is very good, GP might be able to organise referrals for physio, which may help with falls?
You can also contact your local council for an assessment of care by Adult Social Care. They might be able to refer your dad to Occupational Therapy to recommend a walking aid or suggest amendments in the home to make it safer for him. They will also look at how his care is managed and at this point, you will be able to set out your concerns about yourself and your mum looking after him. They may know of day services in your area, respite care or be able to recommend a carer, even once or twice a day (max is four) it might be enough to take the pressure off for now.
Even if you dont think your dad is amenable to any of the above, it might be better to try and have it on record that you did so and have the case file built up. If your dad needs further care, they will know of homes in the area, most offer short term respite first as a stepping stone, you can go see the homes and meet the manager. Start now as there are waiting lists for everything which can take a long time. Is your Dad ending up in hospital after any of the falls or ambulances being called? If so, this may trigger a referral to the Falls Team, which might not be a bad thing.
Thank you so much, everyone.
We have adult social services helping us out, and an assessment by Millbrook about a safety bed, tomorrow, as he keeps falling out at night after vivid dreams.
Unfortunately our GP isn’t much help, but I think that is down to my Dad being very rude when he gets frustrated, the the nurse has recently changed and is just getting up to speed.
My Mum refuses to call and ambulance when he falls, because I think she’s afraid he won’t come out again, so we’re not on the Fall Team radar, yet. Fortunately, my Dad hasn’t really hurt himself yet; just a load of bumps and bruises.
