A team of researchers believes that they now have a better understanding of how Parkinson’s disease begins and progresses throughout the brain.
The new research comes out of Simon Fraser University and focuses on an enzyme called lysosomal glucocerebrosidase. This enzyme is commonly associated with Parkinson’s disease, but measuring it has been difficult in the past. This team of researchers found that as the level of this enzyme changes, doctors can more accurately predict how the disease will spread and what difficulties the person with Parkinson’s is likely to face.
They published their findings in the journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. There’s no cure for this disease, but hopefully research that is conducted in the future can help build upon this. Eventually, this could lead to better treatment and prevention of the disease.
Parkinson’s can have a detrimental impact on someone’s quality of life. Because it is a degenerative disease, it gets worse and worse as it spreads. Typically, symptoms can be controlled through medications and therapy. However, this is most effective when the disease is detected early. Again, while this research doesn’t quite get us to that point, things like this are important because it could eventually lead to better detection of the disease–and better outcomes for those suffering from this disease.
As the spread of Parkinson’s progresses, the person suffering from it might need more and more help around the house. For a while, family members might be completely capable of caring for their elderly loved one, but this certainly isn’t the case with every situation. Each family is different and what each of us are capable of providing for those around us is different. Even though someone might want to nurture their older family members every step of the way, this isn’t a realistic choice for everyone.
Knowing what your options for a loved one with declining health might be can be very reassuring. It doesn’t matter if they are struggling with Parkinson’s disease or something else, when a loved one is struggling, it’s hard. Finding the right team to help your family out is important.
For some people, this might mean in-home care, like what we provide. Our professional caregivers have the training and background needed to understand this disease and to help those suffering from it. This isn’t a universal skill, but because of the prevalence of Parkinson’s, we feel that this is very important to transfer this knowledge into those who work with us.
If you’re looking for senior care, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your local resources. We’d love to be one of your resources if you’re in the Bay Area. Give us a call, or get in touch with another team of care professionals in your community to get started. Getting educated on what’s out there is a first step, but a really important one. If you’re unsure where to begin, we’re always here. One of our professionals would be happy to help get you started off in the right direction.
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