Live in Parkinson’s Home Care

Arbour Companions & Care are specialists of live in Parkinson’s home care. We understand how Parkinson’s is a life-changing condition and can lead to an array of symptoms which your loved one may find difficult to manage such as tremors or memory problems. Our staff are well trained in Parkinson’s care and we are a business that ensures that all our staff are constantly learning new ways and developing their understanding of the disease with new research and practices that are being developed by the scientific community.

If you’re wondering how Parkinson’s is diagnosed, check out our article, here.

If your loved one has recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s and you’re looking at your different options of care, we here at Arbour Care can help. We have had many years in caring for those with Parkinson’s and have a wealth of knowledge and experience in the area. If you have any questions about our care then please get in contact with us today. We would be more than happy to help answer any questions that you may have. One of the common misconceptions we’ve heard from others is that once a diagnosis has been given, your loved one will need to move into a home to be looked after. There is another option for you to consider – live in Parkinson’s home care.

If your loved one is worried about the thought of losing their independence, this is where live in Parkinson’s home care can offer you fantastic support. Our professional live in carers will always be on hand to look after and help aid your loved one, whilst also allowing them to maintain their independence all from the comfort of their own home. This is something that can be tailored to your choice, as it’s very important to us that your loved ones receive the best care for them possible.

If you’re in need of some helpful information such as how to pay for care or life with a carer, feel free to check out our page dedicated to all of these queries, here.

24-hour live-in Parkinson’s Home Care Support

Our carers will be there for your loved one 24/7. If you have any questions about the services that we provide or any of the activities that we carry out then please get in contact with a member of our team today. Having a carer available means there is a variety of ways in which they can help such as:

Helping your loved one to use the bathroom
Encouragement of social activities
Taking care of household tasks such as washing, ironing, and tidying
Encouragement of exercise by partaking in walks or excursions
Meal planning – ensuring that your loved one is eating
Establishing a regular routine

Helpful tips to care for someone with Parkinson's disease

At Arbour Care, we understand how life changing a disease Parkinson’s can be. That’s why we’ve put together a couple of tips for you to consider when looking after our loved one:

Person centred care – Ensure that you are treating our loved one as an individual, not just someone who has a condition.
Issues with constipation – Due to the improper functioning of the autonomic nervous system, those who suffer from Parkinson’s can often suffer from constipation as their muscles don’t work as smoothly as expected. To help avoid this, ensure that your loved one is consuming more water, is in an environment that reduces their stress levels, ensure their diet is high in fibre.
Exercise – Staying active has many health benefits that can help sleep, strengthen muscles and joints as well as reduce stress and depression.

For further tips, be sure to check out our helpful resources around looking after a loved one with Parkinson's disease.

If you are feeling worried about looking after your loved one, then we here at Arbour Care can help you. Get in contact with a member of our team today!

How does Arbour Care help with Parkinson’s home care?

At Arbour Care, we understand that there is no one size fits all approach when it comes to Parkinson’s care. We sit down with our clients and carefully outline their needs to understand what the best approach would be to help. We understand that this is a difficult decision, we pride ourselves on our levels of care. If you would like to know more, then please check out our testimonials section on our website for more information. If you’re looking for a live in carer for your loved one suffering from Parkinson’s, then please feel free to get in touch via the contact form above or by ringing 0845 838 1090.

Our carers are trained and qualified in a range of complex care needs for people of all ages and understand the importance of ensuring great care management for your loved one. We are flexible with both long term and short-term contracts so you can ensure you’re getting the right Parkinson’s home care treatment.

If live In Care is more than you need to fulfil your care needs, we also offer Domiciliary Hourly Care.

We help people to live the life that they choose – and you will very much design your own service and stay in charge of your care. We work with people’s strengths rather than focusing on what they can’t do. Our services are all "managed", i.e. we supervise each contract, quality assure our carers' work and keep accurate records of what we would be doing to support our clients.

If you would like to know more about the type of service we provide, then please take a look at our client testimonials.

What is Parkinson’s disease?

Parkinson’s disease is a medical condition, best described as a chronic and progressive movement disorder. It’s fairly common, there are More than 20,000 cases per year diagnosed in the UK

Parkinson's disease is caused by a loss of nerve cells in an area of the brain called the substantia nigra. This is a region in the midbrain that is considered part of the feedback mechanism in the brain which controls movement. Nerve cells in the substantia nigra produce the chemical dopamine which is responsible for relaying messages that plan and control body movement.

This loss of dopamine is thought to be one of the main contributors to Parkinson’s as it leads to the different symptoms which are associated with the disease - such as slowness in movement and muscle stiffness.

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms may include:

Tremors,
trembling of hands, arms, legs, jaw and face
stiffness of the arms, legs and trunk
slowness of movement.
Poor balance and coordination.
Speech difficulty

Parkinson's disease symptoms may vary from person to person. Early signs may be mild and may go unnoticed. Symptoms often begin on one side of the body and usually get worse on the same side, even after symptoms begin to affect both sides.

Treatment and research

Currently, there is no cure for Parkinson's disease – which is why it is important to support the Parkinson’s Association who fund much of the research.

There are, however, treatments available to help relieve the symptoms and maintain quality of life. These treatments include: -

Supportive therapies – such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy

Medication – which includes a number of medications that increase the amount of dopamine in the brain by;

acting as a dopamine substitute, stimulating the parts of the brain where dopamine works or

blocking the action of other factors (enzymes) that break down dopamine

Surgery Deep brain stimulation is the main type of surgery used to treat Parkinson’s. Usually, it is most effective at improving motor (movement) symptoms. It may be an option for people whose symptoms are no longer controlled well by the best available medication for their condition.

Supporting people living with Parkinson’s

The Parkinson’s association has excellent advice on how to support someone living with dementia. As a general rule, it is important to encourage and support the person to live the life that they choose, in the way that they want to live it.

Friends and contacts need to understand that the person might “freeze” from time to time, they need a bit of extra time to do things and they need to take the balanced medication at very exact times.

For more information, contact Christina Sell or check out https://www.parkinsons.org.uk

Additionally, call up the Parkinson’s helpline at 0808 800 0303 if you’re in need of any assistance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Patients with stage four of Parkinson's disease have visible bradykinesia and rigidity. In most cases, stage four patients need assistance to walk, stand, and move. When patients reach stage five – the final stage of Parkinson's disease – they will have severe posture issues in their back, neck, and hips.

Untreated, Parkinson's disease worsens over years. Parkinson's may lead to a deterioration of all brain functions and an early death. Life expectancy, however, is normal to near normal in most treated patients of Parkinson's disease.

Many people with Parkinson's live alone and manage very well. But it's natural to feel lonely sometimes or worry about how to get help when you need it. This information sheet looks at some of the issues related to living alone and what you can do to maintain your independence for as long as you want.

Utilising our Parkinson’s home care offers a range of benefits for those baring the disease, regardless of the state of progression.

Parkinson's patients experience difficulties with their sleep due to the disease itself and the medications that treat it. This can lead to increased sleepiness during the day. Parkinson's disease can cause problems with sleep, and the medications used to treat it can cause even more.

That being said, our Parkinson’s home care service offers complete care, 24 hours a day. If a patient lacks the ability to benefit from a consistent sleeping pattern, our specialists will ensure that they receive the treatment and care needed to continue sleeping as normally as possible.

Weight loss in Parkinson's is common, but it's usually mild or, at most, moderate. Changes can occur at any time with Parkinson's disease, but maybe more likely in later phases. It's important to recognize and address weight loss because it could lead to malnutrition or exacerbate motor and non-motor symptoms.

Our specialists will minimise the chances of critical weight loss as part of our home care service. A healthy diet and eating habits will be a key factor in everyday life and care.

Cognitive impairments from PD can include memory difficulties, slowed thinking, confusion, and/or dementia. Changes to cognition may appear as distractibility, disorganization, forgetfulness, or difficulty solving problems. Cognitive changes can occur even in the earliest stages of PD.

Each of our carers is highly trained and specialise in ensuring any mental confusion is promptly nurtured, along with creating an ‘ease of life’ approach for the patient, minimising the chance of further confusion.

Live in Parkinson’s home care can present various benefits, depending on the needs of each patient. We understand that each case is different, so our specialists customise their efforts, depending on specific requirements that may be presented.

Overall, through live in Parkinson’s home care, our health measures are focused on achieving the following:

Promoting wellbeing, independence and enjoyment
Reducing behaviours that challenge through the implementation of psychosocial techniques
Reducing and eliminating antipsychotic drug use
Promoting excellence in nutrition and hydration
Reducing and preventing falls in the home
Reducing hospital admissions and re-admission
Reducing UTI’s and chest infections
Reducing carer stress

For further information on the intricacies of live in Parkinson’s home care and the general daily tasks, be sure to contact our team.

With live in Parkinson’s home care arrangement, a professional carer will live with you in your home providing around the clock care and support focused on improving your health and wellbeing, whilst enhancing the quality of your life.

There are many benefits of 24 hour care, not least that the carer will truly get to know you as a person, not just your care needs. They will be on hand to support you to live life the way you wish, with as much independence as possible.

Our live in Parkinson’s home care is solely dedicated to the needs of the patient, as well as their personality traits and expectancies. Although we promote independence in safe and secure environments, it is by no means expected of the patient with our carers on hand for aid at any point.

Outside of the usual medical practices put into place, such as nullifying falls within the home and other examples, live in Parkinson’s home care has other social and livelihood benefits. Through the use of live in Parkinson’s care, remaining at home with a medical expert is a truly innovative way of treatment, with an array of benefiting factions, such as:

The maintenance of your independence and freedom to live life as you choose
The comfort and security of living in familiar surroundings
Avoidance of the potential stress of selling a family home
The retention of your place in the local community among friends and neighbours
The avoidance of separation from much-loved pets
Continued enjoyment of your garden and gardening
Relief from the burden of domestic chores such as cleaning, shopping and laundry
The freedom to choose what you eat and when you eat, with meals prepared for you if you desire
Provision of consistent care by a person who understands you and your individual needs
Married couples and partners may continue to live together
Total peace of mind, both for the care recipient and for their family
A quality of one-to-one personal care and attention unrivalled by residential homes
Complete continuity of care, even 24 hours a day
Consistent companionship
The facility for relatives and friends to visit you or your loved one at any time
The elimination of stress, vulnerability, loneliness and insecurity for whoever is being cared for
An immediate and appropriate response to medical or other emergencies such as falls or accidents in the home
Increased general wellbeing

"The carers have been very good, one even using her free time to visit the husband in hospital and really going the extra mile."

ED Westcott
"The care that Jola provides is fabulous in every respect. I cannot praise her highly enough for the patience she shows with. It was a happy day when she came to us "

RL Englefield Green
"As far as I am concerned, Roberta has been an absolute rock for our family. Completely unselfish in her care and invaluable."

CB Guildford
"We are absolutely delighted with Karolina she is gentle and kind I love chatting to her and really enjoy her company."

JH Cambridge
"Arbour provided live-in carers for my wife for six years from 2017-2023 including the pandemic. My main impression is of a very professional organisation in which owners and staff worked all the time to provide the support the client needed at as high a standard as possible. They gave equal attention to statutory requirements, care plans and staff training and never cut any corners."

Mark
"The support that we have had from Arbour Care has been, quite literally, lifesaving. They found an amazing carer to look after my elderly and disabled husband, who is very experienced, kind and thoughtful. She has made an enormous positive difference to the quality of our lives and I will always be grateful to her and cannot thank her enough."

Jesse