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Substantial Matters: Life & Science of Parkinson’s


May 21, 2019

People with Parkinson’s disease (PD) need their medications on time, every time. Getting them too soon or too late can cause problems. So when a person with PD enters the hospital, which happens 50 percent more often than their peers, the staff often needs to be educated on the importance of delivering medications at the right dose and at the right times - times that may differ from the usual times that medications are dispensed. When medication timing is off or doses are missed, there can be serious complications that are sometimes then treated with medications that make the situation even more dangerous. So the Parkinson’s Foundation has developed a kit, called Aware in Care, that patients can take with them to the hospital to specify the critical nature of getting medications on time, and the medications that should always be avoided. Annie Wallis, Associate Director of Education at the Foundation, and Leslie Peters, Vice Chair of the People with Parkinson’s Advisory Council for the Foundation, Aware in Care Ambassador, and a care partner for her husband with PD, talk about problems that can arise in the hospital, how to prepare for a hospitalization using the Aware in Care kit, and how the Aware in Care Ambassador program is dedicated to educating hospital staffs around the country to help make the kit most effective.