Neurosciences & Brain Imaging Open Access

Abstract

Integration of Palliative Care for patients with Parkinson Disease (PD)

Helen Senderovich

Background: Parkinson Disease (PD) is a debilitating disease taking a toll on over 10 million people. It is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that negatively impacts the lives of those affected. The therapeutic benefits of treatment only decrease going forward from the time of diagnosis. Motor and non-motor symptoms alike, create a heavy burden for patients and those involved in their care. Timely integration of Palliative Care (PC) into patients with PD, minimizes disease burden, and improves quality of life (QoL). Objective: The aim of this review is to assess the efficacy of PC in the management of PD, analyze the impact of symptom burden to both patient and caregiver, and serve as a supplement to the existing PC guidelines. Methods: Comprehensive search on the role of PC in PD patients was conducted within MEDLINE, PUBMED, CINAHL, CENTRAL, PsycINFO, Embase, BioMed Central, as well as a grey literature for publications between March 2010 - February 2020. Results: Analysis of the existing literature has demonstrated benefit in PC integration for patients with PD. Extensive investigation into different PC themes has shown improvement in the QoL of PD patients. PC strives to also alleviate caregivers�?? stress and improve their QoL, although insufficient research exists to support this. PC in PD is a growing area of interest, evidently demonstrating the potential to expand among the current models of approach. Conclusion: Integration of PC in patients with PD helps to improve patients�?? experiences throughout the disease trajectory. Further research is needed to address how PC will focus on alleviating caregiver burden and establish specific prognostication tools for PD patients.