Despite Parkinson’s disease being more common among those over 65 sadly younger people are affected by this debilitating disease also. Younger people when faced with Parkinson’s disease must also face and deal with problems that the older generation don’t have too, besides having to cope with their illness they will be confronted with issues such as caring for young children and adolescents.

As anyone knows caring for children is a full time job which can be a drain both emotionally and financially, managing all aspects of a family including attending sports activities, planning birthday parties, attending school meetings and generally taking care of children can be exhausting for any one. So how does the person suffering from Parkinson’s disease cope with this as well as their illness?

Build up a team of support

Coping and dealing with family life as well as dealing with the aspects of your illness will require you to build up a team of support, this team could include of course your spouse and grand parents, friends and relatives.

This is essential particularly if the child is very young and needs constant care and attention, on saying that as the child grows and develops and begins to take part in more activities outside of the home a different set of problems will be encountered.

Overcoming fatigue

Children are tiring and can drain our emotions quickly more so when you have the symptoms of Parkinson’s to deal with at the same time, you should again rely on the help of your support team when needed, to give you the time you need to get some much needed rest and recuperation.

Another form of help is making a list of daily priorities starting with things which must be done during the day at the top and those which are less urgent at the bottom. While we all like to think we can cope with anything the person suffering from Parkinson’s must be realistic about what they can achieve.

The children themselves

Another factor to consider when faced with Parkinson’s is the feelings and thoughts of your children. Having a parent with a debilitating illness such as this can have a positive effect on the child’s outlook however on the other hand children pick up feelings from their parents and if the sufferer shows signs of embarrassment about their illness due to their appearance brought on by symptoms then the child could gain the wrong outlook regarding disability.

Explaining Parkinson’s to your child

The degree to which you explain your illness will of course depend greatly on the age of your child and their level of maturity, with the level of information being adapted as your child grows. By establishing an open and honest relationship with your child early on you will be able to allay most of their fears and concerns about the disease.