Podcasts

Episode 55: Safety in the Hospital for People with Parkinson’s

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, it is important for staff to be educated on the need to deliver 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 developed resources for people with Parkinson’s to use both to prepare before an emergency occurs and to use in real time while in the hospital to communicate their needs. Annie Brooks, Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Foundation, and Leslie Peters, Vice Chair of the People with Parkinson’s Advisory Council for the Foundation, and a care partner for her husband with PD, talk about problems that can arise in the hospital, how to prepare for a hospitalization, and how the Parkinson’s Foundation is educating hospital staff around the country to improve hospital care.

In this episode, you’ll hear about valuable hospital safety resources developed by the Parkinson’s Foundation for the PD community. Formerly referred to as the Aware in Care kit, the Foundation now offers a fully updated and improved version, known as the Parkinson’s Foundation Hospital Safety Guide.

To learn more about the updated Hospital Safety Guide, or for information about becoming a hospital safety focused Parkinson’s Foundation Ambassador, visit Parkinson.org/HospitalSafety.

Released: May 21, 2019
Updated: July 9, 2024

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