MEMORY CARE
There is a lot of education going on. In the end, the goal is to have residents with Parkinson’s to have quality and happy lives,” Stoddard said.
“For people over the age of 65, it is the
11th leading cause of death and the fastest growing neurological disorder. And, 11 per- cent of military veterans have Parkinson’s,” Thompson said. “This is not going away, with the coun-
try getting older and the population surge among veterans who have been fighting 20 years of war. So, we need to do a whole lot more. We have a wave coming at us in the coming decades.” Hopes are high the legislation can be
approved this year, given the bipartisan support seen thus far and the fact there is no money attached to the plan, yet. “It is about the federal programs being
coordinated and pulling everything being done currently on Parkinson’s in a more efficient way,” he said. Thompson is not shy in saying that the
Parkinson’s plan is copied from the Alzhei- mer’s playbook. “Their work really created a paradigm shift for care and care programs at both the state and federal levels,” he stressed.
Parkinson’s in the Community At the senior living community level, the focus is on providing the right kind of care for those residents with Parkinson’s, while at the same time giving individuals the same attention and support all residents deserve, said Penelope Stoddard, vice president of clinical services, The Ridge Senior Living. “The good thing about assisted living in Colorado and Utah where we operate is that there is a lot of support, a lot of care to keep residents supported. They don’t have to go into a skilled nursing facility that is not their home like assisted living is,” she says. Staff are specially trained on the needs of
Parkinson’s residents, Stoddard added. “We give them the general understanding about the disease, and have them put themselves in their shoes, to really have that empathy and little more understanding.” “When someone comes in with Parkin-
son’s, we remind our care staff and this is about constant education for nurses, other frontline caregivers, and even the families.”
The Ridge Senior Living has partnered
with the MJFF, working on strategies to im- prove care, facilitate research, like by working on identifying markers for Parkinson’s earlier. “There is a lot of education going on. In
the end, the goal is to have residents with Parkinson’s to have quality and happy lives,” Stoddard said.
Challenges Are Many The day-to-day challenges of caring for Par- kinson’s is the slow loss of abilities to do activ- ities of daily living, like dressing, showering, feeding themselves, and using the restroom. “I would have to say mobility is the key,
they eventually cannot go anywhere with- out assistance, which can of course be very frustrating for the resident. This can involve using a walker at first, but then slowly works into using a wheelchair. These people go from independence to totally relying on caregiving,” she said. For more information on Parkinson’s, in- cluding a toolkit on the disease, go to www.
michaeljfox.org.
WHAT IS PARKINSON’S?
Parkinson’s disease (PD) occurs when brain cells that make dopamine, a chemical that coordinates movement, stop working or die. Because PD can cause tremor, slowness, stiffness, and walking and balance problems, it is called a “movement disorder.” But constipation, depression, memory problems and other non-movement symptoms also can be part of Parkinson’s. PD is a lifelong and progressive disease, which means that symptoms slowly worsen over time.
40 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022
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