Physical therapy to help you with your movement. Occupational therapy make daily activities easier. Speech therapy to improve your speaking and swallowing. Music, art, or pet therapy to improve your mood and help you relax.
Symptoms usually begin gradually and worsen over time. As the disease progresses, people may have difficulty walking and talking. They may also have mental and behavioral changes, sleep problems, depression, memory difficulties, and fatigue.
In most cases, symptoms change slowly, with substantive progression taking place over the space of many months or years. Many people with PD have symptoms for at least a year or two before a diagnosis is actually made. The longer symptoms are present, the easier it is to predict how a person with PD will do over time.
Some studies have reported that the average time from onset of Parkinson's to developing dementia is about 10 years. One large study found that about three-quarters of people who live with Parkinson's for more than 10 years will develop dementia.
Individuals with PD may have a slightly shorter life span compared to healthy individuals of the same age group. According to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, patients usually begin developing Parkinson's symptoms around age 60 and many live between 10 and 20 years after being diagnosed.
In most cases, Parkinson's disease symptoms develop gradually. However, recent studies have noted that some individuals in the advanced stages of this disease can deteriorate suddenly. Typically, an abrupt worsening may occur due to a stroke, as this can also affect movement and balance.
Available studies have shown that compared with healthy controls, patients with PD are accompanied by high rates of premature death. This is usually caused by factors such as pneumonia and cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases.
Sudden deterioration in Parkinson's disease is frequently encountered in clinical practice. It usually occurs over several days or weeks, and the cause is most likely related to a symptom rather than progression of the condition.
Parkinson's symptoms and stress. Although tremor in particular tends to worsen when a person is anxious or under stress, all the symptoms of PD, including slowness, stiffness, and balance problems, can worsen. Symptoms, particularly tremor, can become less responsive to medication.
Patients with stage four Parkinson's disease have visible bradykinesia and rigidity. In most cases, stage four patients need assistance to walk, stand, and move. When patients reach stage five – the final stage of Parkinson's disease – they will have severe posture issues in their back, neck, and hips.
The timeline for the stages varies but most people go up one stage every two years, except for stage 2 which is five years.
Freezing – a sudden, but temporary inability to move, when you start to walk or change direction. Moving without assistance or a wheelchair. Other symptoms such as constipation, depression, loss of smell, low blood pressure when going to stand up, pain, and sleep issues.
Myth 5: Parkinson's disease is fatal.
Parkinson's disease is not a direct killer, like stroke or heart attack. That said, much depends on the quality of your care, both from your medical team and yourself. As the disease progresses, you may become more vulnerable to falls, which can be dangerous.
Parkinson's disease is not fatal, as the condition itself does not cause death. However, some complications that arise from Parkinson's, including infections and falls, can be fatal. Treatments and lifestyle changes can help people manage their symptoms and reduce their risk of complications.
Genetics. A number of genetic factors have been shown to increase a person's risk of developing Parkinson's disease, although exactly how these make some people more susceptible to the condition is unclear. Parkinson's disease can run in families as a result of faulty genes being passed to a child by their parents.
This mental side of Parkinson's can start with confusion and progress to include hallucinations and dementia. The hallucinations, when coupled with dementia, is certainly one of the most heartbreaking aspects of Parkinson's. “The hallucinations and dementia, and returning to a 2nd childhood.”
However, since Parkinson's is a progressive condition, symptoms will worsen over time and new ones may appear. It may progress more quickly in people who are older when the symptoms first begin and less quickly when the main symptom is tremor, especially when it starts on one side.
The Role of Exercise
“Movement, especially exercises that encourage balance and reciprocal patterns [movements that require coordination of both sides of your body], can actually slow progression of the disease,” she says.
According to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, patients usually live between 10 and 20 years after diagnosis.
Average Life Expectancy for Seniors with Parkinson's
Depending on age and location, overall life expectancy is somewhere between the ages of 78 and 81. However, overall life expectancy rates are skewed a little by the fact that more young people engage in risky behavior that can cause earlier death.
However, some studies have identified cases where Parkinson's disease symptoms disappear. In one study, a 78-year-old man experienced a remission of all symptoms 16 years after his diagnosis. Although full remission is very rare, it can happen in some cases.