(NAPSI)—Nearly a million Americans have Parkinson’s disease (PD), a neurodegenerative disorder that affects the brain.
Signs
Symptoms include tremor, trouble moving, trouble sleeping, dizziness, a masked face, a low voice and diminished handwriting.
A Problem
People with PD are admitted to the hospital 50 percent more often than their peers and that can be trouble. Three out of four people with PD don’t get their medications on time in the hospital, which creates complications that could have been avoided in 64 percent of cases. In the hospital, people with PD have a one in four chance of complications because of medication errors. Abruptly stopping PD medications may even be life-threatening.
An Answer
To help every person with PD get appropriate care in the hospital, the Parkinson’s Foundation created a free Aware in Care Kit. Available in English and Spanish, it contains information for hospital staff about medications to avoid and the importance of getting the right medications on time, every time. The kit is designed to protect, prepare and empower people with Parkinson’s before, during and after a hospital visit.
Free Kit
You can get the kit at Parkinson.org/AwareinCare or by calling the Parkinson’s Foundation Helpline at (800) 4PD-INFO (473-4636).