I know this is a long answer but there is no short answer for this one.

Since your Grandmother lives alone, she would probably benefit from a support group. You can help her find one at this page of the National Parkinson Foundation:
http://www.parkinson.org/Page.aspx?pid=302
and a more complete list at the Parkinson’s Disease Society:
http://www.parkinsons.org.uk/local_to_you/find_local_branches.aspx

If transportation is a problem and should she happen to be online, she might like to join Patients Like Me where she can compare notes with other PD patients. You can join as one of her carers as well:
http://www.patientslikeme.com/

But the most important thing that you and your family can do is to help her with an itinerary for her PD journey. You can reassure her that you love her and will always be there for her. As the disease progresses, she may not be able to get to the doctors, she may not be able to cook for herself, bath, dress. It would be better to understand what she wants now, what medical coverage is available to her. This is the time to become acquainted with her doctors. You will need to be able to speak to them at some time during the process.

It would be good to have a list of her medications, the names, the dosages and frequency. You also need to be aware of the side effects of those meds. There may come a time when she will need someone to speak to her physician with her. The only way to be prepared is to know now.

If she is taking supplements it is important to know that they do not interfere with her current medications. Some do and some don’t. For example the vitamin B complex is very helpful for PD patients but for a patient taking the levadopas, B6 is contraindicated as it can interfere with the L-dopa.

If she can find it in her budget, she should be taking the powerful antioxidants as they can certainly be of benefit. Without knowing her current medications, I am reluctant to make suggestions about the supplements.

Your nan will also need to exercise as the stiffness and rigidity make movement more difficult. Perhaps you could all familiarize yourselves with exercises she can do at home. Without knowing her current PD stage, I can only suggest that there may be a time when she will need someone to read the exercises to her and/or to do them with her for support. You can find basic exercises here – just scroll down the right column:
http://parkinsonsfocustoday.blogspot.com/

If your nan is having issues with breathing, swallowing or speaking you will find exercises for those issues at the above site as well. One of the best exercises for PD patients is simply using their voices. Have her read to you or perhaps one of the younger family measures.

Smile often with her – it is an excellent facial exercise for PD patients as their facial muscles also stiffen.

As she grows unsteady on her feet, begins to shuffle, has balance issues, you and/or your family should make sure that her residence has been saftey-proofed. She will need a bath/shower seat. Many falls occur in the tub among PD patients. Loose throw rugs should be removed. If she objects, hang the pretty ones on the wall where she can see them but not trip on them. Make sure that she has clear-wide-safe pathways through her house.

Some PD patients have been known to lose weight due to several factors, side effects from meds is the most common. Just be aware of physical changes and what they could signify for her health. She may not discuss these things with her doctor, which another reason for making contact with her healthcare providers.

You will read many things about diet and nutrition but again, some of that depends upon what medications she is taking. Protein interfers with levadopa so timing is important but protein is necessary. Red meat and animal fat are not.

Eventually she may need some of the small kitchen, dining, dressing, appliances which are available online. Their are special cups for people who have swallowing issues, special flatware which can be held easily, there are canes, laser walkers, all manner of things to help. If you acquaint yourself now, you won’t be in a panic when they are needed.

Above all, most PD patients need to know they are loved and accepted for who they are. There is a depression which is more specific to Parkinson’s and one of the treatments to counselling to restore a feeling of self worth. You need to watch for the signs of depression as well as other personality changes which are often a medication side-effect. Some may be tolerable, some may require a discussion with her doctor.

Because many PD patients are older, they often don’t get out in the sunlight as much as they should. SAD is one thing from which PD patients suffer. You can use many antidepressants but there is no substitute for getting outside in decent weather and using a SAD light when you can’t get out.

Because PD symptoms and progression are different for each patient, it is difficult to find one mold that will fit all but you are certainly wise to begin to learn all you can now.

By the way, you can keep abreast of new PD treatments at all of the above sites. You will feel better to do so. You can even join some of the Facebook Parkinson’s groups for more discussion. The Parkinson’s Disease Foundation is there as is the Michael J Fox Foundation which has some active discussion groups.

Best wishes to you and your grandmother from me and also from my husband who has PD.

addendum: Just read Kid on the Block’s suggestion about a wristband and that is a great idea as long as your grandmother is ok with it. Some PD patients are reluctant to advertise. But since falls are the 2nd leading cause of Parkinson’s death (after aspiration pneumonia caused by choking) it is really important.

Check her diet and find out what supplements (Chelated (plant derived) vitamins, minerals, herbs) she needs in order to live a full productive life. Make sure she’s not eating alot of processed foods/chems. She may buck a new diet, but it will more than likely alleviate her symptoms considerably and she needs to understand that.
She may need to detoxify. That may help. There are various processes out there to do that. I would suggest going totally natural, though.

She’s so fortunate to have someone like you in her life!

Namaste!

I don’t want to seem like a negative person but my experience with Parkinson’s isn’t good. If she is in the beginning stages, if someone lives near her they SHOULD check on her at least at least once a week to make sure she is doing ok how she reacts to things ect..I would say the best way if possible would be for her to live with someone in the family because when the disease gets worse you will know that they need more help either having a nurse come in to help or put her in a long-term care facility but nowadays there are so many medications that can slow down the process and your nan can live a long time with it…..e-mail me though because I can tell you a lot about long term care facilities and what you need to watch out for and tips things like that because I did my clinics in a nursing home and working there you really see a different side to things that residents families don’t see =/

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/parkinsons-disease/DS00295/DSECTION=symptoms

http://www.webmd.com/parkinsons-disease/guide/parkinsons-disease-symptoms

My mum had it too. Unfortunately while Parkinson’s can be helped at the moment it can’t be cured and it tends to get worse with time. Enjoy things now and don’t put things off to next year if she can manage them now, it might be much more of a struggle next year.

Your nan will get tired, her abilities will vary from day to day and even from hour to hour and this is trying for you all.

Symptoms vary a lot from person to person, my mum had almost no tremor, she went very rigid.

Dopamine helps movement, it is also the chemical which gives the rush of pleasure when something good happens so your nan might not respond to something nice like she used to because loss of dopamine is the main feature of Parkinson’s.

Liaise with her doctor and don’t be afraid to get occupational therapists etc involved as there are gadgets that help with day to day activities. Try to get her to have a phone she can use to call for help. Councils often have schemes or Age Concern do one, she will have a pendant or wrist band she can press if she has a fall or she has an ‘off’ when she can’t start a movement. You pay a small monthly charge but the peace of mind is well worth it.

This sounds negative but it isn’t a good condition and you are really fighting a rearguard action. If her diagnosis is recent then she may well have a year or two where the condition is well controlled by the drugs and she may feel a lot better.

Best wishes and do contact the organisation below who have some very useful fact sheets.

I do not mean to worry you but my grandmother and my mother had Parkinson`s Disease and it was not easy. Try this site http://www.Parkinson.org. This can explain much more than I could.