A 70 year old male presents to the office with complaints of headaches and a sore throat
Discussion: Diagnosis of Parkinson Disease
Evaluation and Treatment of the patient
The patient presenting with complaints of headaches and a sore throat with a history of Parkinson disease and is on prescription medication may be suffering from the side effects of Sinemet which is a carbidopa/levodopa. The prescription medicine is used in treating Parkinson’s Disease symptoms that include stiffness of muscles, tremors, spasms and ineffective control of muscles (Hermanns et al., 2019). The medicine’s side effects include high fever, depression and lightheadedness.
Health Promotion Activities for Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s disease affects many aspects of an individual’s daily life and activities. However, effective health
promotion activities can reduce these impacts and ensure that it is not intrusive and stressful. These include having physical activities or therapies, having sufficient rest and eating healthy diet (Tenison et al., 2002; Krishnamurth et al., 2020). According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, one can manage the diseases through enhancing emotional wellbeing, increasing mobility and having time to interact more with their families and other significant people like colleagues (Parkinson’s Foundation, 2021). Older individuals with the condition should ensure that they have physical activities that make them more active and proactive to enhance their quality of life.
Evaluating if Parkinson’s Disease is well Controlled
Evaluating if Parkinson’s disease is well controlled entails assessing the patient’s signs and symptoms. A nurse practitioner can also carry out a physical examination and a neurological evaluation to ascertain that the disease is well controlled for patients presenting with the condition.
Beer’s criteria considerations
Yes. There are Beer’s criteria considerations that include not recommending anti-parkinsonian agents for prevention of extrapyramidal symptoms with antipsychotics (Fixen, 2019). The implication is that health care providers must evaluate the disease condition to develop effective and less harmful interventions.
References
Fixen, D. R. (2019). 2019 AGS Beers Criteria for older adults. Pharmacy Today, 42-55.
Hermanns, M., Haas, B. K., & Lisk, J. (2019). Engaging older adults with Parkinson’s disease in
physical activity using technology: a feasibility study. Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, 5, 2333721419842671. https://doi.org/10.1177/2333721419842671
Krishnamurthi, N., Fleury, J., Belyea, M., Shill, H. A., & Abbas, J. J. (2020). Ready Steady
intervention to promote physical activity in older adults with Parkinson’s disease: Study design and methods. Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications, 17, 100513. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conctc.2019.100513
Parkinson’s Foundation (2021). Activities of Daily Living.
https://www.parkinson.org/Living-with-Parkinsons/Managing-Parkinsons/Activities-of-Daily-Living
Tenison, E., Smink, A., Redwood, S., Darweesh, S., Cottle, H., van Halteren, A., … &
Henderson, E. (2020). Proactive and integrated management and empowerment in Parkinson’s disease: Designing a new model of care. Parkinson’s Disease, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/8673087