Ask an Expert: Cheryl Daniels Answers Your Questions on Medication Management for Parkinson's

Cheryl Daniels has been a nurse for 26 years, working primarily in a community setting. She is originally from Saskatchewan, where she obtained her nursing degree, and has been living in Kelowna for almost 10 years. With a professional background in public health, Cheryl has been with the Multiple Sclerosis Clinic in Kelowna for 7 years and started work with the Movement Disorder Clinic in August 2015. She is currently finishing her Masters in Nursing at the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan Campus.

Can you please tell us a little about the Kelowna Movement Disorders clinic?

The Movement Disorder Clinic (MDC) opened in August 2015 and is located in the Walter Anderson Building of Kelowna General Hospital. Dr. Wile is the neurologist for the clinic. Typically there has been 1 clinic per week, 2–3 clinics per month, although we’re planning on increasing clinic frequency. There are currently 375 patients on the wait list, 60 are considered urgent and 50 are waiting for follow-up.

This October, you were a speaker at two community talks about medication management for Parkinson’s disease. What are some of the key takeaways from these talks?

• Medication is the main tool for management of Parkinson’s symptoms.
• The correct medication regimen is different for everyone and also changes with disease progression.
• There is no known cure for Parkinson’s disease. Medications are designed to help manage symptoms.
• There are additional strategies that can be implemented to alleviate the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, such as exercise.

What are the most common misperceptions about Parkinson’s disease (PD) that you’ve noticed in working with patients?

Despite everyone’s best efforts, medication cannot prevent off times or days. People sometimes don’t realize that healthcare professionals can help treat the symptoms of the disease, but we cannot eliminate the disease. As Parkinson’s progresses, symptom management can become increasingly difficult.

In your experience, have you noticed any gaps in resources for patients with PD and/or healthcare professionals?

There are never enough resources to support people fully as their needs vary across areas of specialty. This includes adequate psychological support and practical care support, both for people with Parkinson’s and caregivers. Often, these services can be in short supply or difficult for people in more remote communities to access.

What are some key resources you advise Parkinson’s patients look into or take advantage of?

I highly recommend turning to home and community care for support, such as respite, personal care, home maintenance and management, as well as counselling when needed. I find that most communities in BC are short on these services for both people with Parkinson’s as well as carepartners.

More support from trained healthcare professionals, such as physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists and social workers specifically trained and designated to work with people with movement disorders would also be beneficial.

Parkinson Society BC has a number of services, events and programs available across the province that are worth looking into. Of course, local exercise programs specifically geared towards people with Parkinson’s (ex. PWR! Moves, Rock Steady Boxing, etc.) can help with disease management as well as provide additional social support.

This content was published in the Winter 2017 edition of our quarterly magazine, Viewpoints. The content was accurate as of this publication date.