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Professional Help outside the hospital with Parkinson's Disease

Posted by nicoleaquinn @nicoleaquinn, Sep 4 12:50pm

Hello there. My FIL (75) can no longer take care of my MIL (69) alone. They both need help. They live outside of Pheonix, AZ. She is a patient at Mayo Scottsdale. How do I go about getting them help? Is there live in nurses? Only hourly nurses? Is Care.com the only place I can look? I don't know where to begin. I hope someone can help guide me in the right direction. Thank you to anyone out there in advance.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Caregivers Support Group.

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wolfplanetzero | @wolfplanetzero | Sep 5 9:21am

Perhaps connect with a social worker who would know of local resources. Read the reviews of the provider you mentioned on trustpilot or BBB or other websites. Might be some issues with people being charged for services they never received. Good luck.

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Mentor
Teresa, Volunteer Mentor | @hopeful33250 | Sep 5 1:42pm

Hello @nicoleaquinn,

Welcome to Connect. We all appreciate your concern for your in-laws. It isn't easy to find the help they need. As @wolfplanetzero said, contacting a social worker would be a good first step. If you contact one of your in-laws' physicians, they can probably put you in touch with a hospital social worker. Some services will provide in-home care for elderly individuals who want to remain in their own home. Then, there are also assisted living facilities that provide different levels of care.

You do not mention the type of disability that they are experiencing. Is dementia part of their problem, or is it only physical disabilities? What are they able to do for themselves? These are all important factors in deciding the type of support they need.

On Connect, we also have discussion groups for Caregivers. Here is the link to one of those support groups:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/caregivers/
There is also a support group for Caregivers who are dealing with dementia. Here is the link to those discussions:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/caregivers-dementia/
These might be good groups for you to post your question to see how others have found assistance.

I look forward to hearing from you again as you seek answers. Will you post updates as you continue this process?

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1 reply
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nicoleaquinn | @nicoleaquinn | 6 days ago
In reply to @hopeful33250 "Hello @nicoleaquinn, Welcome to Connect. We all appreciate your concern for your in-laws. It isn't easy..." + (show)
Profile picture for Teresa, Volunteer Mentor @hopeful33250

Hello @nicoleaquinn,

Welcome to Connect. We all appreciate your concern for your in-laws. It isn't easy to find the help they need. As @wolfplanetzero said, contacting a social worker would be a good first step. If you contact one of your in-laws' physicians, they can probably put you in touch with a hospital social worker. Some services will provide in-home care for elderly individuals who want to remain in their own home. Then, there are also assisted living facilities that provide different levels of care.

You do not mention the type of disability that they are experiencing. Is dementia part of their problem, or is it only physical disabilities? What are they able to do for themselves? These are all important factors in deciding the type of support they need.

On Connect, we also have discussion groups for Caregivers. Here is the link to one of those support groups:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/caregivers/
There is also a support group for Caregivers who are dealing with dementia. Here is the link to those discussions:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/caregivers-dementia/
These might be good groups for you to post your question to see how others have found assistance.

I look forward to hearing from you again as you seek answers. Will you post updates as you continue this process?

Jump to this post

Wow thank you so much @hopeful33250! Just having an ear and people who are familiar with this is so comforting. It is my MIL who has Parkinson's she has been diagnosed with it for 11 years now and she is having manic episodes, for examples packing a bag to go some where with clothing and loose pills. My FIL is stubborn and very controlling and we want him to get help with his wife so he can live a happier life but it hasn't been easy. I thought if I took some of the brunt work and tried making it easier or more seamless maybe he would be more inclined to actually get some help in the home. They have a social worker which on a family zoom this weekend we reminded them they should reach out to her.

Since posting here I reached out to Parkinson's Foundation Helpline and they sent me a few recommendations to finding some care as well.
They sent me some local agencies that have nurses for home care. They also recommended an elder law attorney (not as familiar with this so need to research this more). They also mentioned contacting our local Area Agency Aging for resources for family caregivers.

I definitely have my work cut out for me but I figure the less work he has to do maybe the more likely he will accept some help?

REPLY
1 reply
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Mentor
Teresa, Volunteer Mentor | @hopeful33250 | 5 days ago
In reply to @nicoleaquinn "Wow thank you so much @hopeful33250! Just having an ear and people who are familiar with..." + (show)
Profile picture for nicoleaquinn @nicoleaquinn

Wow thank you so much @hopeful33250! Just having an ear and people who are familiar with this is so comforting. It is my MIL who has Parkinson's she has been diagnosed with it for 11 years now and she is having manic episodes, for examples packing a bag to go some where with clothing and loose pills. My FIL is stubborn and very controlling and we want him to get help with his wife so he can live a happier life but it hasn't been easy. I thought if I took some of the brunt work and tried making it easier or more seamless maybe he would be more inclined to actually get some help in the home. They have a social worker which on a family zoom this weekend we reminded them they should reach out to her.

Since posting here I reached out to Parkinson's Foundation Helpline and they sent me a few recommendations to finding some care as well.
They sent me some local agencies that have nurses for home care. They also recommended an elder law attorney (not as familiar with this so need to research this more). They also mentioned contacting our local Area Agency Aging for resources for family caregivers.

I definitely have my work cut out for me but I figure the less work he has to do maybe the more likely he will accept some help?

Jump to this post

Sounds like you have made some good decisions to help, @nicoleaquin. I look forward to hearing from you again as you navigate these new paths!

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