Daily living hints and tips for Parkinson's
If you have Parkinson’s, you may find it more difficult to do some of the everyday tasks you used to, but there are lots of things that can help make life easier. Here, people living with the condition share hints and tips that have helped them.
Occupational therapy can also help people with Parkinson's continue to carry out everyday activities when they become difficult to do. You can usually contact an occupational therapist through your GP, your social services or social work department, or health and social care trust, to see if it is possible to arrange for an occupational therapist to visit you at home.
"I have a weakness on my right-hand side, so chopping food is difficult. I bought a mini food-processor, which I use to blitz things like garlic, ginger and spring onions. Then I freeze the ingredients and just get them out when I need them."
"Elastic belts are really helpful. The buckle can fit in anywhere on the strap so you don't have to aim for a specific belt hole."
"My tremor makes it difficult for me to chop food, so I use a salad bowl cutter. You put everything in the bowl you want to chop, then put the base on it. You can use the slots in the bowl to guide your knife, which makes things very easy."
"I used to spend a long time struggling to put my socks on. Now I put a bit of talcum powder in them and they slide on really easily."
"I've started using an electric razor to shave with. It's good because you don't need to be in complete control of fine movements as you do with a wet shave razor. It does the same job and is easy to hold."
"I use a grabber at home to pick things up, which is good if I am very stiff and can't bend down."
"I add zip extenders to zips on my jackets, as I often have difficulty gripping on to small zip pulls."
"A bed grab rail helps me get out of bed in the morning when I am unmedicated and feeling very stiff. It also prevents me rolling out of bed and injuring myself."
"This glide sheet let’s me move from sitting to sleeping position easily. I turn to my side and push myself down the bed. It also helps me to move from my back to my side during the night."
"I had numerous grab rails installed in our home. I didn't want to make the place overly 'institutional' though, so I found brushed steel ones, which fit in nicely with our home's décor."
"I bought fat weighted pens for my husband who has advanced Parkinson's with lewy body Dementia. The difference this pen has made to his handwriting is astonishing. The spidery look has gone and it's been a real boost to his confidence."
"I find the sticky band around the neck of a bread bag tricky to put back on. I now use a plastic buckle to hold the bag closed without the difficulty of a knot to undo."
