AboutMargot RN BScN GNC Expertise Please feel free to ask anything, but the more specific you are, the easier it is for me. Please share as many details as you are comfortable doing. I do check my Emails daily Monday through Friday so you should receive an answer within 24 hours on most business days. Thanks.
Experience GERONTOLOGY (NURSING ISSUES RELATED TO THE ELDERY) I have 15+ years experience working with the elderly. I would be pleased to offer any assistance I can. My areas of expertise include: Gerontology / Geriatrics, Long Term Care, Community Nursing, Palliative Care, Private Nursing Services, Intermediate / Extended Care. I also have a personal interest in Homeopathic and Eastern Medicine. If I can not answer your question I'll do my best to direct you to an appropriate resource. Thank you. Experience in the area 20 years of Long Term Care and Community Nursing, specialising in Geriatrics, Gerontology and PalliativeCare.
Education/Credentials Registered Nurse , Certified Gerontological Nurse, Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Question Good Day from the Islands......My 86 year-old mother is in end stage Parkinson's. As is her wish, she is in her home with full time caretakers. She cannot move herself and has been having trouble swallowing for some time. Before Xmas she slept for three days with no nourishment. She woke up hungry and was eating for about two weeks -not at the previous level however. For the psst few weeks she has ocnsumed very little, mostly Boost and ice-cream. She is losing weight rapidly and is very week. Her urine output is low and dark and her bowel function seems to be shutting down. She has needed enemas for some time, but they are not working and she is impacted. Her hospise nurse has said that she has seen a decline in the last week, but cannot say what her life expectancy is. I hate seeing her suffer.......although the suffering seems to be more mental than physical. This has been going on so long and although I would miss her, I can't stand to see her like this. What should I expect and what can we do to make her comfortable?
Answer Hello Carolyn and thank you for writing, I do apologise for my tardy response, my Laptop froze on me and I had to get it repaired this week.
I am truly so sorry to read about your Mom's struggle with PD, I can empathize with your pain watching the dear woman you love succumb to this cruel disease.
Parkinson's disease strikes people in many different ways, leaving them to experience a broad range of symptoms. Though symptoms may be mild or severe or occur frequently or infrequently, Parkinson's disease appears to take on five different stages. The time spent at each stage of the disease varies, and the skipping of stages, from Stage 1 to Stage 3, for example, is not uncommon.
Obviously I cannot tell your family what to do, but I can advise you to make sure you all sit down and talk about the options together. Did your Mom ever express her desires in a Living Will or even in conversation regarding being kept alive on machines? It is always easier if you know you are following her expressed desires.
We all now PD is progressive and can be a long process; we also know we have the technology to keep people alive many years longer than they would live normally with a disease like PD. Personally I do not like to artificially feed people with PD because I believe in quality of life and have seen too many patients live for years and years with no visible quality of life. I have seen people kept alive with tube feedings and IV fluids and medications far beyond the point when they could communicate in any fashion. Personally I think it is cruel and selfish, but it is a family decision which we healthcare workers must respect and follow.
I can tell you that after all the PD patients I have seen, if it was my Mother, I would allow nature to take its course and allow her to pass away as peacefully and comfortably as possible. Although I loved my Dad more than words can say and I miss him every day, I am eternally grateful that he did die suddenly doing something he loved and I did not have to watch him suffer or waste away in front of me.
I hope this has helped a little. Please get the appropriate family members together and talk about all your feelings and the options. Once you have agreed how you would like to manage your Mom 's medical care, then book a Care Conference with the medical team (ensure her primary physician is included) and inform them what your decision is.
My thoughts are with you all during this very difficult time,
