My Dad Has Parkinson’s and I Was Wondering..?
Question posed by KnottyJ: My dad has Parkinson’s and I was wondering..?
I’m 19 and home for the summer from college. My mom is away for 2 weeks and it’s just my dad and I. Within the past week, I’ve noticed my dad has become much more forgetful. He will ask the same question twice within 10 minutes. He is taking medication but he won’t talk to us kids much about what he’s going through. Anyway, I guess what I’m wondering is in what stage of the disease does one start becoming forgetful? Any advice or thoughts would be appreciated.
The best answer:
Answer by Old School
My grandfather had Parkinson’s and became forgetful about a year into the illness. It started out mild and progressed rapidly within the next few years. They have new medications that really help prolong and even cancel out some of the symptoms now, as to when my grandfather was living. I am so sorry to hear that your father is dealing with this. I know how hard it is to watch someone go through it. I wish you both the best:)
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First of all, I am sorry to hear that your dad has PD. Since you are young, it suggests that he too might be fairly young (for PD)
Parkinson’s disease has different rates of progression for different patients so it is difficult to say if the forgetfulness is a sign of the disease, that fact that he was more dependent upon your mother as a caregiver than he wants to admit or possibly as a side effect of the medication(s) he is taking.
If he is not exhibiting any other new symptoms, you might want to wait until your mother is home again and then discuss with her the cognitive changes you have noticed.
Technically my husband is still in stage one but already has demonstrated some cognition issues…I am sorry to say. But he also has a hearing loss (not PD related as this is one thing that is not symptomatic.) But he does get very tired, partly as a result of one of his medications – that is when the cognitive issues really appear – when he is overtired.
Your dad could just be feeling at loose ends and distracted by your mom’s absence but he also may not be getting enough sleep – having a change of diet or has forgotten to take one of his meds or supplements. PD meds, nutrition and supplements mostly have a short half life and so if forgotten or not taken at the right time can cause the PwP to become more symptomatic.
I know he doesn’t want to worry you but by not confiding in you he might be causing you more stress. Parents often forget that…I should know. PD becomes a family journey and if he isn’t willing to share, wait until your mom comes home. This isn’t fair to you.
I wish I had a good answer but not knowing more details it is difficult to make supplement and nutrition suggestions. It’s is only another week or less but be prepared to talk to your mom. Keep some notes about time of day, what you have noticed, anything else that seems different about him.
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