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Managing Parkinson’s medications is often a juggling act

Some days when I look at our bathroom closet, it resembles a miniature pharmacy. While my husband, Arman, takes significantly fewer oral medications since his deep brain stimulation surgery in 2017, he still averages about 30 pills a day. We have three large plastic bins containing medications, vitamins,…

Why it’s crucial to be prepared for trips to the ER

One thing I’ve been pondering lately is how vulnerable we can be when we have a medical crisis and have to go to a hospital emergency room. Imagine the following scenario: You’re a patient with young-onset Parkinson’s disease (YOPD), a subtype of early-onset Parkinson’s. In the ER, you…

How my volunteering benefits others and my life as a caregiver

“As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.” — humorist and poet Sam Levenson, though often quoted by (and misattributed to) Audrey Hepburn, actress and UNICEF goodwill ambassador I began volunteering in my children’s classrooms…

The value of in-person Parkinson’s caregiver support

Having been born and raised in Cleveland, I’m accustomed to living in a city with top-notch healthcare. This didn’t mean much to me as a child and as a young adult, because I was extremely fortunate that none of my close family members or I had any major medical issues…