With the cooler weather, we often see an increase in requests for help with urgent issues, and this year is no exception. With Parkinson’s, it’s hard to know whether sudden changes, from a few hours to a few days, are related to Parkinson’s, Parkinson medications, or something else.
Because Parkinson’s is slow to progress, sudden changes are often an indication of a bacterial infection such as a urinary tract infection (UTI) or pneumonia. In older adults, the classic UTI symptoms of burning or pain may instead appear as sudden changes in behavior or mental state, and similar changes can apply to pneumonia. These symptoms can include: confusion, disorientation, increased agitation, irritability, mood swings or hallucinations, difficulty in performing daily tasks, poor coordination, and fatigue, as well as new balance issues and unsteadiness. These kinds of symptoms can also be a result of lack of sleep or stress, so it can be difficult to know what to do and when.
One concern is that families sometimes wait too long to seek care, particularly if they believe that the changes are related to Parkinson’s. When treated, the changes can be reversible, but left untreated, infections can lead to sepsis, permanent damage to organs, and even death.
Our recommendation is, when in doubt, check it out.
Please see your primary care physician or seek urgent care.
Please don’t wait for symptoms to become severe or life-threatening.
For visits to the ER, and hospital and rehabilitation admissions, you can download copies of our IPMDC Patient Care Kit for Parkinson’s to take with you and share with the team providing care. You’ll find it at ipmdc.org/hospital and there’s a blue button near the top of every page on ipmdc.org that will take you to it. You’ll see that our two most important messages are:
- that patients receive their Parkinson medications, as prescribed by their neurologist, on time, every time,
- and that Haldol (haloperidol) is most definitely contraindicated for people with Parkinson’s.
How can you prevent UTIs and pneumonia?
- Drink lots of water! Check out our blog post at ipmdc.org/2024/07/16/you-are-not-a-cactus
- Remember to get your flu shot. There’s an enhanced vaccine approved for people over 65.