Because April is National Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Month, and I routinely work with caregivers to Parkinson’s Disease and their clients, I felt it important learn more about its impact on Florida residents.
“Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is the second most common degenerative neurological disorder after Alzheimer’s disease. It is estimated that PD affects 1 percent of the population over the age of 60,” according to the Parkinson’s Association of Southwest Florida (PASF).
PD often starts with a tremor in one hand. Other symptoms include slow movement, stiffness, and loss of balance.
A recent article published by MD Edge laid-out some statistics from 2014, which indicated Florida ranked 4th among all states for cases of Parkinson’s Disease (PD), with 1551 of 100,000 patients having received the diagnosis. Out of 392,214 Medicare beneficiaries across the nation with PD, almost half (46%) were women, and 26% were age 85 or older.
At that time, Medicare used this data to examine how patients with PD utilized healthcare systems. This is what they discovered:
“Among the national sample of patients with Parkinson’s disease, there were 219,049 hospitalizations (which represented 558/1,000 Parkinson’s patients), 37,839 readmissions (172/1,000 hospitalizations), 9,740,609 outpatient physician office visits (9,700/1,000 patients), 34,159 hospice stays (87/1,000 patients), 113,027 skilled nursing facility stays (288/1,000 patients), 466,160 emergency room visits (1,188/1,000 patients, 39% of which resulted in hospital admission). In addition, there were 1,308,934 durable medical equipment events (3,337/1,000 patients), 6,676,119 laboratory tests (17,021/1,000 patients), 2,435,654 imaging events (6,210/1,000 patients), and 4,879,538 home health visits (12,441/1,000 patients). The costliest services were inpatient care ($2.1 billion), skilled nursing facility care ($1.4 billion), prescription drugs used by those with prescription coverage ($974.8 million), hospital outpatient care ($881 million), and home health care ($776.5 million),” the article states.
Unfortunately, the number of people suffering from PD in Florida has only increased over the last seven years.
In 2021, PASF reports that Florida now ranks #1 nationally for the highest percentage of the population with PD, and the Sunshine State is #2 nationally for the highest number of people diagnosed with PD, which currently stands at 64,000.
Seeing these disturbing stats and reviewing the scope of costs, it seems in-home care for seniors with PD is a beneficial, affordable option to help them stay in their homes longer, live more independently, and lead healthier, happier lives.
In-home care services for seniors with Parkinson’s Disease may include and are not limited to:
- Specialized Parkinson's, Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care
- Personal Care
- Companionship
- Homemakers Services
- Nutritional Meal Planning & Preparation
- Respite Care
- Recuperative Care
- Wellness Calls
Chances are you know someone with PD, since Florida leads the United States in the number of people with the disease. The data shown above may be rather dated, but it clearly represents that millions of seniors with PD have sought in-home care to live more independently and have an improved quality of life.
If you or a loved one suffers from Parkinson’s Disease, I can help. I offer a FREE Consultation to discuss specific needs and create a personalized care plan to help make life a little easier for you or your loved one with Parkinson’s Disease.
We, at Home Helpers® Clearwater, are honored to have received the Home Care Pulse – Best of Home Care® Provider of Choice Award for the fifth consecutive year: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 & 2021. We proudly serve male and female seniors in Clearwater, Dunedin, Palm Harbor, Safety Harbor, Tarpon Springs, Holiday, New Port Richey, Trinity, Port Richey, Hudson and surrounding areas. Home Helpers®…we are Making Life Easier℠ 727.942.2539
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