Medications are a constant part of my husband’s treatment for PD. He takes pills every three hours and missing a dose can throw him off for the rest of the day. He carries his PD pills with him and has an app on his phone that reminds him when it is time to take them. The app shows him what the pill looks like, tells him how many to take and beeps until he shuts it off. It works well for us because I also hear the reminders and can help if he needs it.

I have a friend whose husband also has Parkinson’s alongside a whole slew of other issues. His medication schedule is much more complicated, and she has to set his pills up daily for him to take. He is also having problems with swallowing, so she mixes the meds with applesauce for him to get them down. His medication schedule interrupts her day, but she has found that taking on the responsibility of making sure he takes his pills is much better than finding them still sitting on the counter hours later. He needs his meds, she needs peace of mind, taking the lead in giving them to him meets both of their needs.

While I haven’t had to take on the responsibility of meds management, there are other tasks that I do for my husband on a regular basis. Some involve dressing, some involve personal grooming, a lot involve the day-to-day stuff like making phone calls or preparing meals. I could push back and wait for him to do these things himself, but the safest and most efficient process has simply become for me to help. Being a CarePartner impacts my life, but I can limit those impacts by accepting that there are things he can’t do anymore. Rather than worry about them not happening, I simply need to step up and shoulder those tasks for both of our sakes.