There was a time when George was a “Type A” personality. His training as an accountant required him to be precise, and a stickler for details. He cared a lot about many things: me, our children, his work, and his happy avocation as Boy Scout Leader. That was then.
Now we face apathetic days. More troubling than his physical symptoms is his lack of interest in activities he once enjoyed. The dictionary defines apathy as follows:
Apathy in Parkinson’s disease is more likely to be a direct consequence of disease related physiological changes than a psychological reaction or adaptation to disability. Apathy in Parkinson’s disease can be distinguished from other psychiatric symptoms and personality features that are associated with the disease, and it is closely associated with cognitive impairment. These findings point to a possible role of cognitive mechanisms in the expression of apathy.
Given that conclusion, we have been striving to address George’s mobility challenges. His physician has added Clonazepam (a medication to induce REM sleep) and Rasagiline (a medication to even out the “on” and “off” periods of his Carbidopa-Levodopa doses). The new pharmaceutical cocktail seems to be working.
Thus far, we are seeing a gradual improvement in his sleep quality and his ease of mobility. A milestone for us was this morning when he (unprompted by me) walked to the newspaper box to bring in the paper! We are hopeful that things will continue to improve.
At the same time, I and George’s regular caregiver are encouraging him to get out of the house more and interact with family members. It is an uphill battle, but we continue the fight. We don’t want to return to the “Type A Days” but “Type B” wouldn’t be too bad!
Perpetual Motion 
Btw, while you were gone last night I encouraged George to develop a routine involving exercise and to push himself to do more.
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That apparently helped him this morning too, so thanks!
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That is such encouraging news! I am quite surprised the medications can be so powerful, and so happy to hear that they are.
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Yes they are. It just takes a few days to take effect!
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