Substantial Matters: Life & Science Of Parkinsons

As most people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and their care partners know, medication management is crucial for controlling PD symptoms. Given that many people need to take medication multiple times a day, “on time every time” becomes a way of life, regardless of where one is – at home, at work, visiting with friends, shopping, or traveling. Ironically, one of the most difficult places to get medications on your individual schedule is in the hospital. Hospitals have set times to dispense medications, so a hospitalized person with Parkinson’s or their care partner needs to impress upon the staff that Parkinson’s medicines have to be given on the patient’s schedule, not the hospital’s. Rose Lang’s husband, John, fell and broke his hip, resulting in his transport to a local hospital and several hours in the emergency department. Fortunately, he brought some of his pills with him and took them while waiting to be admitted to a room in the hospital. But even then, Rose, a retired pharmacist, had to educate the med