Characteristics

Although the first symptoms of Parkinson’s disease usually appear around the age of 60, the early form of the disease (before the age of 40) affects between five and ten percent of people diagnosed. Twenty percent of them are under the age of 50. Some problems associated with Parkinson’s disease are universal and age-neutral, but others particularly affect young people.

Parkinson’s disease generally progresses more slowly in young people. Although each case is different, a person with Parkinson’s disease at age 40 can expect to be able to work for another 15 to 20 years. A person with the disease at age 60 can expect to work half as many years. These statistics are based on currently available treatments. Future treatments will be even more successful in prolonging the active lives of people with Parkinson’s disease.

The early form of Parkinson’s disease often has the following characteristics:

Early disease is less likely to cause dementia or balance problems

The early form of the disease is more likely to lead to focal dystonia, which results in a contraction or abnormal posture of a part of the body.

Younger people are more sensitive to the benefits of medications used to combat

Parkinson’s symptoms, but they tend to experience the dyskinetic side effects of levodopa more quickly than older people.

Young people also tend to experience dose-related motor fluctuations more rapidly, such as exhaustion of the therapeutic effect at the end of the dose and the so-called mobility-immobility or on-off effect.

Apart from the physical problems associated with the disease, people with early Parkinson’s disease face particular problems concerning family, career, finances and a long period of life with a potentially debilitating condition. It can be very helpful to talk with other people of the same age with the same disease. Contact your local Parkinson’s to learn more about support groups for people with early Parkinson’s disease.

Medication

Young people with early Parkinson’s disease face two important challenges: when to start taking medications to relieve symptoms and what medications to take early in treatment. Each case is unique and the strategies differ according to each person.

The decision to delay medication requires close monitoring. Each person should assess whether they can continue their work and home tasks through changes that take Parkinson’s disease into account, such as using a computer instead of a pen.

The decision to start medication can be made in consultation with your neurologist or neuro physician.

Here are some questions you may want to ask:

Do medications lose their effect over time if I start treatment earlier?

What are the benefits of each medication?

Should I be concerned about medication behaviours such as confusion or compulsion (e.g., shopping or gambling)?

Are drugs covered by the provincial drug plan?

Could a clinical trial benefit me? Can you help me find one?

Given the higher incidence of motor fluctuations and dyskinesias in younger people, one of the outcomes to look for in treatment, in addition to symptom relief, may be to reduce motor fluctuations.

There is currently no drug that can reduce the progression of Parkinson’s disease.

It is important to remember that there is a wide range of medications on the market to treat the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and that the number is increasing every year. A person with Parkinson’s disease can rely on medication to help them stay active for a very long time.

Employment

It is estimated that between 25% and 35% of people with Parkinson’s disease are still in the workforce. Some continue to work full or part time for many years. The diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease does not necessarily lead to early retirement, but it does force you to study how to do your job well while minimizing stress.

Consider how you do your work by doing the following:

review your key responsibilities

divide each area into specific tasks

determine whether or not your symptoms will affect your ability to perform each task

look for new ways to do things

establish a schedule that allows you to tackle difficult or demanding tasks during times when you are at your best

set aside specific hours for time-consuming tasks, such as writing reports

The timing of your discussion with your employer and what you tell them will depend greatly on you, your condition, your personality and your work situation. In many provinces, employers are required by law to accommodate the workplace of a person with a disability.

Here are some things to consider:

Can you hide your symptoms from your employer?

Are you working on a project that you want to complete before you tell your employer?

Should you talk to your employer so that they have enough time to adapt the workplace to your needs?

Family issues

In addition to the person with Parkinson’s disease, other family members are also affected – spouses, children, teens and elderly parents will all face problems. The spouse, who now becomes the care partner, can wear various hats as a breadwinner and parent. Everyone will need patience, understanding, endurance and creativity.

The care partner of a young or middle-aged person with Parkinson’s disease faces special challenges. It is important that couples maintain an open dialogue about their feelings and experiences. The care partner may one day have to take over certain tasks and family roles previously performed by the person with Alzheimer’s disease. These decisions require ongoing negotiation and dialogue to determine when to avoid intervention and when to offer assistance.

The couples who best manage a chronic disease start talking to each other from day one about how the disease affects everyday family activities and what can be done to make things easier. Care partners who do best are those who quickly learn to be flexible, clearly express their own needs, and set aside blocks of personal time to meet those needs over the years. This behavior is not selfish. The primary caregiver must do whatever is necessary to maintain physical, mental and emotional health; the well-being of the person with Parkinson’s disease and the family are at stake.

Children and adolescents

Young families face special challenges: announcing the diagnosis and sharing the ups and downs of Parkinson’s disease on a daily basis with young children and adolescents.

Children integrate the family reality of Parkinson’s disease by osmosis and by processing information openly. Children are intuitive and feel the frustration of a parent facing tremors or difficulty walking. They can show empathy and generously offer their help. Hiding the diagnosis from them may not be the best decision. When something goes wrong in a family, they know it by instinct. The energy used to keep a secret will be better used to preserve a couple, earn a living and raise a family.

Young children may need assurance that their mom or dad is well. They may need to be told that both their parents will be there for them, that Parkinson’s disease is not a fatal disease, as some cancers can be, nor is it contagious, as is chickenpox. Direct answers to questions asked out of a need-to-know can help children understand a parent with special needs.

What about teenagers? Parents who do not have Parkinson’s disease can greatly embarrass them! It is important to keep your role as a parent, role model or mentor and avoid confiding in your teen. Older adolescents may need assurances that their lives will continue as planned, and that their parents do not expect them to be substitute caregivers. On the other hand, an older adolescent may find great satisfaction in taking on tasks that were once the responsibility of the parent with Parkinson’s disease, such as certain household chores or the role of driver. Some teens can benefit from professional counselling that will help them live better with a parent who has physical problems.

Elderly parents

Older parents are often upset when they learn that their middle-aged (or younger) child has an illness normally associated with old age. Their concern may be even greater if they depend on that child for emotional or financial support.

Park is one of the best neurology hospital in Delhi NCR for providing treatments for Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, multi-personality disorder and other neurological diseases. Spine doctors and spine surgeons are well experienced veterans with more than 20 years of experience for treating patients with good care and medications. Park Neurology Hospital have presence in Delhi, Karnal, Panipat, Faridabad, Gurgaon and across India.