In 1993, my mom was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease.
I was the person who first noticed something was up. I had spent the previous year studying in Innsbruck, Austria and when I came back to the States, my parents arranged a day at the beach on Fire Island, New York.
While we were at the beach, my mom went for a little walk. On her way back to our beach blanket, I noticed she was only swinging one of her arms.
I asked her what was wrong.
She was having a lot of back problems at the time and constantly going to the chiropractor so she thought it might be related. Interestingly enough, soon after flagging the issues to her chiropractor, her X-rays “disappeared.” It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that her chiropractor thought he had damaged some of her nerves during the course of his treatment. Asshole.
After seeing a few other doctors, my mom was eventually sent to a neurologist who confirmed the diagnosis: Parkinson’s Disease. (Nothing to do with the chiropractor obviously.)
No one knows what really causes Parkinson’s but in the 1960s, my mom was in a boating accident and suffered severe head trauma when she was hit in the head with a flying anchor. (She even received last rites in the hospital.) There’s some thought that previous head injuries may factor into Parkinson’s in some way. (Think about Mohammed Ali.)
So she’s been living with this disease for over 25 years and luckily for the first 15 years she was really mostly fine. She had to stop driving about 10 years ago though and her balance issues have gotten worse in the last few years. If you’ve been following me for any length of time, this is the main reason I have moved back to the US from London.
I spend a lot of time researching Parkinson’s and the best products for Parkinson’s patients. I don’t claim to have any of the answers — it’s a tough disease in the later years — but if you or someone you love has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s, here are some of the products and/or gifts I recommend based on our experience.
Gadgets & Electronics
My family has always loved gadgets and electronics so here are some of our suggestions on how to make life easier with Parkinson’s Disease.
Amazon Echo Show (or Google Home)
When I first bought my mother an Amazon Echo Show, she said, “I don’t need one of these.” And now she loves it. I hooked it up to Spotify for her so she always has music and just has to say what song she wants. (Music is good for the brain IMHO. The more natural dopamine the better.) The Echo is also great for setting alarms and getting the news without getting out of bed or out of a chair. It also has some personal safety features — we’ve set it up so she can send me, my cousin, and my uncle alerts if she falls down and calls out to it. Having Alexa in the house when my mom is home alone makes me feel a bit safer. (Note Amazon doesn’t sell Google devices so I have not been able to link to Google Homes here.) The other good thing about the Show is that it does have a drop-in camera setting.
Electronic card shuffler
Parkinson’s can reduce fine motor control and my mom loves playing cards. If you have a card-player in your life like my mom, an electronic card shuffler is a fun gift which makes shuffling cards so much easier. (We play a lot of gin rummy in our house.)
Laser pointer
Parkinson’s patients may have to direct others to help them out with things around the house. Rather than asking the patient to come with you as you help them out with tasks, get them a laser pointer so they can easily point at where to find things from the comfort of their chair. To be honest, now I’m a little annoyed with the laser pointer because as soon as my mom picks it up, I know I have a project in front of me…
Roomba
If you’re not in a position to hire a cleaning person for the Parkinson’s patient in your life, then consider a Roomba to keep the floors clean. (The last thing I want is for my mom to be struggling with the vacuum cleaner) I love the Roomba. However — there is a small tripping risk if you are not paying attention. That being said, I like that it gives my mom one less thing to do around the house.
iPad
Parkinson’s can be very isolating for older people with less mobility. Like the Amazon Echo, my mother protested that she did not want or need an iPad when I bought one for her a few years ago. It’s now become her constant companion. I set her up with Facebook and also with Words with Friends. She loves both apps and they help her stay in touch with people and also keep her mind agile. (She’s an excellent Words with Friends player and plays regularly with a lot of strangers all around the world!)
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite
The iPad is great but it’s a little bulky. My mother likes to read so I also got her a Kindle which is smaller and lighter. I hooked it up to Amazon for her and now she really enjoys finding new books to read with her Kindle!
Voice amplifier
Some Parkinson’s patients can have difficulty projecting their voices so a small voice amplifier might help them in social settings. This is one of the things my mom is putting off using but I think it could be helpful especially when she is trying to talk to me from the other room, which she frequently does.
Netflix
Because my mother is housebound, I’ve done what I can to provide as much entertainment as possible. She has a Netflix subscription so she can keep up with all the new shows. You could also consider Hulu.
Lanyard for iPhone
I’ve found that one of the biggest problems with my mother’s iPhone is she keeps putting it down. Then getting back to it when her phone rings becomes a problem. An inexpensive lanyard has been very helpful in this regard. When she gets up in the morning, she can just put the phone around her neck!
Smart home light switches
Related to the above, a smart home setup is now my dream for my mom. One of my projects over the next 12 months or so is going to switching her over to a smart home setup where lights come on automatically or can be controlled via app or Amazon Alexa.
Kitchen Items
My mom used to be a great cook but Parkinson’s makes that harder and harder. Wherever possible, we’ve tried to use technology to make her life easier. Here are a few of our favorite kitchen gadgets…
Electric can opener
Because of the fine motor control issues with Parkinson’s, an electric can opener can be super helpful. Carefully check out all the different models though because even getting the can set up can require some dexterity.
Electric wine opener
While Parkinson’s patients really should not drink a lot given their balance and mobility issues, my mom still likes to enjoy a glass of wine or two. An electric wine opener makes opening the wine so much easier. (I also find boxed wine a better choice than bottles because boxed wine eliminates the risk of broken glass.) To be honest, as her Parkinson’s has gotten worse, this is still pretty hard to use. But it was great in the early years.
Electric potato peeler
This is another gadget that can come in handy and help a Parkinson’s patient avoid accidents in the kitchen.
Soft grip utensils/adaptive utensils
These forks, spoons, and knives feature an ultra-wide handle with silicone ridges that are easy to grasp and hold onto. They are great for Parkinson’s patients who need a bit more support at the table. At first my mom felt a little embarrassed about using them but now she really loves them.
Covered cups with straws
Both because of dexterity issues and also because I don’t want my mother making so many trips to the kitchen to get a drink, I’ve bought her a bunch of these large covered cups with straws. This way, she can fill up a large drink in the morning and have it with her for a few hours.
Clothing & Related Accessories
Getting dressed when you are in some of the later stages of Parkinson’s can be very difficult. Here are a few of our current favorite clothing items but it is really a constant research project.
Satin pajamas
Parkinson’s patients can have trouble rolling over in bed. Satin pajamas can make that a bit easier. You could also consider satin sheets but that feels a little too slippery to me so I think satin pajamas are a better bet. I also like that they are very lightweight.
Magnetic button shirts
There are shirts out there with magnetic buttons! These are genius for Parkinson’s sufferers who have fine motor control issues and have trouble with buttons! Try searching for “adaptive” shirts in addition to magnetic button shirts. They seem to go by both names.
Button hook
Related to the above, a button hook can be helpful for regular shirts with buttons. I still feel like this requires some good dexterity but perhaps this is good in the early stages.
Anti-slip socks
My mom has fake wood floors and I am always worried about her slipping and falling on them. My ultimate wish is that she not walk around in socks but if she must, anti-slip socks are very reassuring. (Interesting though — my mom’s floors are actually cushioned laminate?? They are supposed to be great for old people.)
Front-clasp bra
Bras are a challenge and continues to be so because my mom has limited mobility in her arms but front-clasp bras have been pretty helpful. I think she should forego bras all together but I don’t think she’ll ever do that!
Bathroom Items
Shower chair
The shower can be a very dangerous place for anyone with mobility issues. I much prefer that my mom use her shower chair when showering.
Electric toothbrush
I still feel that electric toothbrushes can be a pain in the butt but some Parkinson’s patients might find them easier to use than regular toothbrushes.
Turkish towels
My mom finds regular towels too heavy for her so I set her up with Turkish towels and they have been a game changer. They are super lightweight but also absorbent. They also dry quickly! As a bonus, they come in lots of fun colors and patterns. I highly recommend these.
Night lights
Because I am always worried about my mom falling, nightlights are essential. We have them all around the house.
Mobility Items
Lift chair
My mom actually asked for this for Christmas a few years ago. She has always loved a good recliner but she was finding it harder and harder to get out of her regular recliner so I bought her a lift chair and had it delivered. She loves it!!
Pull me up hook
As I mention above, my mom can have some trouble getting out of chairs so this hook is super useful when we are out and about and need to help her get around.
Ink stamp with signature
This is a small little hack it took us years to discover. It can take my mom ages to sign her name but an ink stamp of her signature makes signing docs a breeze. (Note that my mom has had deep brain stimulation and in the two years after her surgery, she was much better at signing her name but now she needs to be up on her meds for things to go smoothly.)
Lazy hands for holding iPhone, iPad
Because my mom plays so much Words for Friends and reads so much, she is constantly on a device. Her Parkinson’s makes this a bit hard to manage so I researched ways she could better balance the devices and discovered Lazy Hands which have been a godsend. They take a little pressure off the uper body when using a device.
Grabber stick
“What are you doing on that ladder?” is my least favorite sentence when it comes to my mom. So this grabber is great. If she needs something she can’t quite get to, the grabber comes in really handy. I honestly don’t know why we still have so much stuff so high up but stuff happens.
Bed assist rail
This bed assist rail gives my mom some leverage for getting out of bed. This is super helpful for my mom in the mornings before she’s taken her meds. I also like that this particular model has a nightlight for her just in case.
Conclusion
Parkinson’s is a tough disease. It’s important to be proactive and think broadly about what will make the life of the Parkinson’s patient easier and more enjoyable. If you have other suggestions for Parkinson’s gifts and aids, please let me know in the comments below.
