On Thursday, November 9 at 7:00 pm, I presented a webcast for Baltimore’s Parkinson’s community on selecting a Life Plan community. While most Parkinson’s patients are cared for at home and through community-based programs sponsored by MAPS, some Parkinson’s patients will move to a senior housing community as their disease progresses, usually to relieve demands on a spouse or family caregiver.
The slide deck from the webcast is below. It contains reference material that may be helpful if you are considering moving a Parkinson’s patient to a senior housing community. I believe Life Plan communities, which are 300 to 500 units or mega-Life Plan communities with over 1,800 unitse, offer a full range of care options, and are starting to provide PD support groups and exercise programs specifically for PD are the best option for a Parkinson’s patient and healthy spouse for the reasons discussed below. There are also smaller rental only communities that offer Independent Living, Assisted Living and Memory Care, such we those by Baltimore-based Brightview and Springwell that may meet the needs of some Parkinson’s patients.
In the two prior posts, published earlier today, I provide supplemental material that explains senior housing and home care options and terminology and a separate slide deck with photos of some life care communities in MD to help you see the options available.
I would like to thank Judy Friedman at MAPS for the opportunity to provide information to Parkinson’s community and for the help they have provided me in management my illness. Please post questions and comments and I will try my best to respond.
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