My husband is really quite capable for someone who has had Parkinson’s Disease for probably 15 years now. He is still able to do many of his daily activities with minimal assistance and, when he starts to struggle, he is open to encouragement which can often keep him on track to success. I can usually tell when he feels that my encouragement has slipped into the nagging stage and back off. My use of encouraging words and just the right amount of support empowers him to keep trying no matter how difficult the task.

Encouragement is also useful in my role as CarePartner, even though it is usually me encouraging myself. I tend to be more negative about new challenges and don’t always have faith in my own abilities. When my husband is there, he encourages me to give things a try anyway. If not, it’s up to me. I start by taking a moment to remember similar challenges that I have completed, it reminds me that I am more capable than I give myself credit for. By envisioning myself successfully doing the task, I feel empowered to tackle it. My work may not be perfect or even close, but if it gets done, I consider it a positive outcome.

Encouragement is empowering. “You can do this”, “I think you’ve got it”, “wow, that was tough” are all great ways I use my words to help my husband and myself face whatever PD and life want to throw at us. I believe in our abilities because I know that together we are strong and capable. We can do this, we’ve got this no matter how tough it gets, we’ll make it through.