There are many professionals within the multidisciplinary team (MDT) who are there to support both you and the person you live with. Together they can help with maintaining independence and quality of life, as well as keeping you in good physical and mental health. They can also help you to learn skills to cope as Parkinson’s progresses and can refer you to appropriate support organisations. Your doctor, social worker or others involved in looking after the person you live with will be able to identify who can help, or in some cases you may be able to refer yourself.
There are many other organisations and groups outside the MDT who can also provide practical help and advice on various aspects of caring, for example, government advice and information offices, counselling services, carers, disability and mobility organisations, voluntary organisations and services, religious or charitable organisations and services and private agencies (but always check the cost involved as charges can be high).
Your doctor’s surgery, local government office, library or local newspaper may have contact details for these, or you can look on the Internet using a search engine such as “google”.
Talking to family and friends can often help, so don’t
try to soldier on alone. Accepting help and advice, is a positive step
forward in helping you to cope well so that you can do the best for the
person you live with.
For an extensive list of suggestions and strategies to help with daily living see the Carers’ checklist on Rewrite Tomorrow.
