Things to Know about Parkinson’s Disease and Assisted Care in Phoenix, AZ

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Approximately one million adults live with Parkinson’s in the USA and more than 60000 are diagnosed every year. Parkinson’s disease affects 50 percent more men than women. Today, we are going to answer a few questions related to the disease like what exactly is Parkinson’s disease, its symptoms, ways to prevent it, etc.

Parkinson’s disease is a brain disorder that leads to shaking, stiffness, and difficulty with walking, balance, and coordination which means it affects the mobility of an individual. The disease affects the part of your brain that controls your movement which happens when nerve cells in the brain don’t produce enough of a brain chemical called dopamine. It may or may not be genetic. Exposure to chemicals in the environment might be responsible. Symptoms start to appear after the age of 60 in majority of the cases.

A person with Parkinson’s would require 24×7 support to be able to live a stable life. It is best to consider assisted living facilities like Anthem Senior Living in Phoenix, AZ in this regard. It is an award-winning assisted living Anthem facility in the region. Our senior residents receive our complete attention every day.

Symptoms:

The symptoms typically worsen over time. Individuals with the disease will progressively have difficulty walking, talking, as well as mental and behavioral changes apart from trouble sleeping, depression, extreme fatigue, and memory issues. The symptoms are often assumed to be a part of natural aging changes because of the fact that the disease affects those over the age of 60 which may lead to late diagnosis or no diagnosis for that matter. Paying attention to the primary symptoms can help prevent overlooking key symptoms. The four major symptoms include

1. Slowness of movement
2. Limbs and trunk stiffness
3. Impaired coordination and balance
4. Trembling in hands, arms, legs, jaw, or head

Causes:

Decrease in dopamine levels in the body causes abnormal brain activity that leads to signs of Parkinson’s disease. Unfortunately, the exact cause of the disease such as why do the dopamine levels decrease is unknown, but several factors appear to play a role, including genetics and environmental factors. The disease may occur due to specific genetic mutations but is rare as it requires multiple family members to have been affected by Parkinson’s. The environmental factors include exposure to certain toxins.

Early diagnosis of Parkinson’s gives the best chance to treat it. Look for signs like small handwriting, slurred speech, slowness in carrying out daily activities, lips, hand, arms and/or legs shaking, more stiffness, trouble buttoning buttons or dressing, feet getting stuck to the floor when walking or turning, trouble with balance, you stoop or have an abnormal posture, etc. Make sure to discuss any of these symptoms or your concerns with your physician. Although slow progression of the disease makes it difficult to detect but paying attention to the symptoms can help you identify it early and take proactive steps to treat it.