Shaun’s bike was a gateway to the Calgary foothills before his Parkinson’s diagnosis. Even a year into managing the disease, he was still hitting the road with bike-loving friends most weekends.
That changed a lot as Shaun’s disease progressed. Four years in, he struggles with mobility these days—and needs help from family, friends and in-home caregivers to cope.
“It feels like a lot of Alberta families are searching for care options for relatives with Parkinson’s disease,” says Chuck Terlesky, General Manager, TheKey Calgary. “Someone with Parkinson’s mind might be very sharp, and they’re not ready to move to a memory care facility. But their bodies are failing, and they need support to live well at home. That’s where we come in.”
With a local brand built on a distinctively holistic style of caregiving, Terlesky’s team provides in-home care services that empower seniors to live safely and happily at home. It’s an approach he says is a natural fit for someone affected by Parkinson’s.
“Our caregivers are trained to consider the whole person. They support clients in maintaining their physical and mental wellbeing. That’s as important for someone living with Parkinson’s as any other condition that may affect folks as they age,” Terlesky says. “I’ve been in this field for many yeas and I can tell you that we’re receiving more calls about Parkinson’s than at any other time. We’re ready to help families navigate that path.”
About 15,000 people in Alberta are living with a Parkinson’s diagnosis
Parkinson’s is now the fastest-growing neurological condition in the world. The Parkinson Association of Alberta expects the number of people living with Parkinson’s province wide to double in the next 30 years. As that upward trend continues, Terlesky says it’s important for families like Shaun’s to surround themselves with caregiving support before they reach the burn-out stage.
“Unfortunately, people tend to call us once they’ve reached a breaking point. Adult children are struggling to balance their daily realities—kids, school, work—with an aging parent’s needs. If Parkinson’s is involved, things can become even more complex,” says Terlesky. “If I could tell families one thing, it would be to start lining up support early, and then scale services as needs evolve and grow over time.”
Parkinson’s is typically associated with its most common symptoms—tremor, slowness, stiffness, impaired balance and muscle rigidity. But a wide range of non-motor symptoms (notably cognitive changes, anxiety, depression, difficulty swallowing) are also part and parcel of Parkinson’s. Because it’s such an all-encompassing condition, Terlesky says a balanced caregiving approach offers the best possible opportunity for living safely at home: “Our TheKey’s Balanced Care MethodTM is a natural fit for anyone coping with Parkinson’s. No one experiences it in the exact same way. Through our method, we empower caregivers to understand each individual client’s needs. They work with families to build a care plan that’s tailored for that person.”
Whether that means weaving physical therapy (for mobility, flexibility and balance) into the daily routine, supervising occupational therapy sessions with a specialist or finding suitable ways to exercise cognitive function through games and conversation, the goal is always to improve health and well-being overall.
“People in Shaun’s position aren’t going to recover from Parkinson’s,” Terlesky says. “But they can live fulfilling lives nonetheless. We are absolutely dedicated to making that happen for people across the Alberta communities we serve. That’s our mission, and we’re happy to be part of the solution.”