No one saw it coming when Jake Smith was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in his early sixties.
Active and social, Jake was happy. Weekends were for long bike rides or rounds of golf with friends. Holidays saw Jake criss-crossing Canada, visiting friends and family in Vancouver and Montreal.
With his diagnosis, Jake’s zest for life faded. As Parkinson’s progressed, he altogether changed.
“In the last two years, he’s become a different person,” explains Kelly, Jake’s sister-in-law. “He was more himself when he first moved in with us in 2022. Now, he’s anxious and depressed a lot of the time. That’s in addition to the mobility challenges. We’re working as a team to care for him but it’s hard.”
Jake’s family isn’t alone. In fact, depression and anxiety are often lesser-known—but equally debilitating— symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. In Jake’s case, his family notices a real shift in mental wellbeing around dinnertime. Without the right medication, evenings become impossible to manage.
“The other day, he missed his 4 p.m. pill by about an hour. That’s just too long for him,” Kelly says. “If we miss that medication, everything is downhill from there.”
To keep things on track, Kelly and her family work seamlessly with a rotating shift of two caregivers. This has been a game-changer for the family over the last 12 months. For the first time in years, Kelly can head out to work in the morning knowing Jake will be safe. What’s more: she knows he’ll be engaged in meaningful ways and find purpose in his day.
Caregiver fit improves quality of life for people living with Parkinson’s in Winnipeg
Parkinson’s is now the world’s fastest-growing neurodegenerative brain disorder. More than 30 people in Canada are diagnosed with Parkinson’s every single day. That means over 100,000 Canadians are living with this complex brain disease. In 2015, research by Parkinson Society Manitoba predicted the province would see the number of Parkinson’s patients double by 2031. Fast forward to 2024, and in-home senior care teams like TheKey Winnipeg say they’re now matching more caregivers to clients with Parkinson’s.
“A lot of families we hear from are inquiring about care because a senior in their life is experiencing Parkinson’s or dementia,” says Dennis Fancy, General Manager of TheKey Winnipeg. “Some are surprised about how quickly their loved one is changing, and just how much help they need to take care of that individual without burning out themselves. That’s where we come in to bridge the gaps.“
Typically associated with its most common symptoms (tremor, slowness, stiffness, impaired balance and muscle rigidity), Parkinson’s can also span a wider, lesser known range of non-motor symptoms beyond anxiety and depression, including cognitive changes. With scalable services, TheKey Winnipeg can offer a range of home care solutions for families in Winnipeg and surrounding areas.
As a leading and local in-home, senior and elder care provider, Fancy says the team works to understand a client’s personality, needs, likes and dislikes. This helps ensure the best possible fit between caregiver and client. Then, they apply TheKey’s Balanced Care MethodTM to help people cope with Parkinson’s while living safely at home: “Our holistic approach to caregiving really is what sets us apart. Seniors in Winnipeg and beyond have unique needs when it comes to Parkinson’s. We build a care plan for each individual client to make sure we’re looking after their physical and mental wellbeing. That’s the goal.”
Fancy’s teams may weave physical therapy (for mobility, flexibility and balance) into the daily routine, supervise occupational therapy sessions with a specialist or incorporate suitable games and activities to stimulate cognitive function. That balanced approach resonates with TheKey’s clients and families like Kelly’s.
“There’s no cure for Parkinson’s,” she adds. “But the right caregiver fit—and the right caregiving plan—help him live well. That’s important to us. Our in-home caregivers make it possible for Jake to live with us safely and feel purposeful. This allows everyone else in the household to thrive, too.”