Parkinson’s unresponsive episodes.

Thank you for the response. Yes, he has been in the ER twice for this...gets IV fluid, seems better. Once he was admitted. Once discharged from ER to home.

Hello @bethv

Welcome to Mayo Connect. I appreciate your post regarding your dad. I can understand your concern if he is unresponsive for as long as two hours. Perhaps some of our other members will respond to your question.

How long has your dad been having these episodes? If this is a new symptom? If so, has it been addressed with your dad's doctor?

I would also like to direct you to our Caregiver's discussion group, https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/caregivers/. We have several members who are caregivers for aging parents and maybe someone can help answer your question. I will tag, @IndianaScott as well as @debbraw to join you in this conversation.

@bethv,

I am helping care for a friend who has Parkinson's, he is 81 years old. His wife is 92 and having a difficult time. A couple of days ago he was asleep at about 1130 and at 1:00 p.m. his therapist arrived and we could not get him to respond to any of us. We tried sternal rubs and many other things to get him to respond and he would not. We called 911 and he was taken to the hospital. a few minutes after arriving at the hospital he became alert as if nothing had happened. No one could tell us what happened. Have you found anything else out about your father and his episode which could possibly help us out? Any new information? Thanks in advance for your help and response.

My mother is 86 and was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease about 17 years ago. She has limited mobility, but gets around fairly well with a rollator and can walk limited distances. She eats and drinks well on her own, but requires help in all other areas of daily living. About 4 years ago, she started having episodes of being non responsive. During these episodes she would not respond to us touching her hands or feet, and her eyes remained closed until they were over. Her blood pressure was normal and she has never had issues with high or low glucose. They last anywhere from a few minutes, with the longest one being 2 hours. Her neurologist recommended a brain scan to determine if she was having seizures or mini strokes, but the results were negative. Blood work is always good, and they diagnosed these episodes as being "behavioral". We cannot figure out what causes them, and can't understand why the doctor attributed them to behavior or "acting out." Generally, her routine remains the same and we cannot put our figure on anything that upsets her prior to the episodes taking place. Recently, these non responsive episodes occur almost weekly or at least a few times a month. It usually happens in the morning but on occasion they have occurred in the afternoon as well. Has anyone experienced this with a loved one or someone they know who has Parkinson's? Is this attributed to the progression of Parkinson's disease and should I seek a second opinion from another doctor.

My mother is 86 and was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease about 17 years ago. She has limited mobility, but gets around fairly well with a rollator and can walk limited distances. She eats and drinks well on her own, but requires help in all other areas of daily living. About 4 years ago, she started having episodes of being non responsive. During these episodes she would not respond to us touching her hands or feet, and her eyes remained closed until they were over. Her blood pressure was normal and she has never had issues with high or low glucose. They last anywhere from a few minutes, with the longest one being 2 hours. Her neurologist recommended a brain scan to determine if she was having seizures or mini strokes, but the results were negative. Blood work is always good, and they diagnosed these episodes as being "behavioral". We cannot figure out what causes them, and can't understand why the doctor attributed them to behavior or "acting out." Generally, her routine remains the same and we cannot put our figure on anything that upsets her prior to the episodes taking place. Recently, these non responsive episodes occur almost weekly or at least a few times a month. It usually happens in the morning but on occasion they have occurred in the afternoon as well. Has anyone experienced this with a loved one or someone they know who has Parkinson's? Is this attributed to the progression of Parkinson's disease and should I seek a second opinion from another doctor.