My father’s Parkinson’s symptoms worsened after his retirement

March 3 marked one year since my father passed away. As I reflect on his journey, I realize how much his retirement contributed to the worsening of his Parkinson’s symptoms. In hindsight, I see that while retirement should have been a time of relaxation, it played an unexpected and significant role in his decline.

Before retiring, my father was always active. His career as a teacher, combined with managing multiple businesses, kept him constantly engaged both physically and mentally. The first signs of Parkinson’s came gradually — subtle hand tremors and occasional stiffness — but he’d brush them off, attributing them to age. But as the years passed, these minor symptoms grew more pronounced, and his retirement seemed to mark a shift in his health that we didn’t fully understand at the time.

Retirement was meant to bring rest, but it soon became clear that without the structure and rhythm of his professional life, my father’s Parkinson’s symptoms were intensifying. His previously active lifestyle was replaced with long hours of inactivity at home. He began to move slower, his rigidity worsened, and his cognitive abilities declined more rapidly. My father’s disease seemed to thrive in the absence of stimulation.

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The loss of routine hit him hardest. As a teacher, he’d been constantly on his feet, moving from class to class, engaging with students and colleagues. His businesses, though demanding, provided him with a steady rhythm of planning, negotiating, and managing. But in retirement, these daily engagements, both physical and mental, came to an abrupt halt. Without these outlets, his condition began to deteriorate faster than we could’ve anticipated.

Perhaps the hardest shift for us to witness was how the loss of purpose affected his spirit. Parkinson’s disease is not only a physical ailment; it also affects a person’s sense of self. My father had always been a proud, highly respected figure in our community, but as his Parkinson’s progressed and his role as a provider, teacher, and mentor diminished, he began to feel irrelevant.

This loss of identity, combined with the physical effects of the disease, made it harder for him to maintain his motivation to move. The less he moved, the stiffer he became, and the less he engaged with others, the more withdrawn he became.

For us, as his family, this shift was a constant reminder of how Parkinson’s affects the mind and spirit. We didn’t fully grasp how vital maintaining a routine and a sense of purpose would be for my father. We were still learning about Parkinson’s, and we didn’t realize how much the disease thrived in an environment of inactivity.

Now, in hindsight, I understand that caregiving goes beyond physical care; activities like exercise, which we hadn’t prioritized, could’ve made a significant difference. Had we understood this sooner, we might’ve done more to keep him mentally and physically active, perhaps by helping him find new passions or goals.

The absence of structure and routine had a profound effect on his condition, and I now see that maintaining a sense of purpose is key to managing Parkinson’s disease. Although our family and close relatives made good efforts to help him, perhaps we could’ve done more to slow the progression if we’d realized this development earlier.

What I learned from my father’s experience is that navigating Parkinson’s involves more than just managing physical symptoms. It’s about managing the loss of a person’s identity and purpose. When my father retired, he lost his job, but he also lost a vital part of himself. His professional life had been a huge part of who he was, and without it, he became vulnerable to the deeper effects of Parkinson’s. We did our best to support him, but we couldn’t replace the sense of fulfillment he once found in his work.

For those navigating Parkinson’s disease, especially in its later stages, I urge you to consider the impact of losing routine and purpose. If you can, try to maintain activities that engage both the body and the mind. Whether it’s continuing to work, exercising, finding new hobbies, or staying socially connected, maintaining a rhythm is crucial.

Note: Parkinson’s News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Parkinson’s News Today or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to Parkinson’s disease.