My father has Parkinson’s Disease. He has been on medications for many years, and recently his symptoms are starting to worsen. His doctor mentioned to him that there are some advanced therapies. He is starting to get a little dementia, and doesn’t remember things well, so he did not know the specifics of what the doctor was recommending. So my question is, what are the common “advanced therapies” for Parkinson’s Disease?
The treatment that the doctor was likely referring to is Deep Brain Stimulation. This is a treatment that is reserved for patients with advanced Parkinson’s with symptoms that are refractory to standard medical therapy. It sounds like your father is likely a candidate for this. Basically, this is like a pacemaker that you see people get for the heart, but it stimulates electrical activity in the brain. There are studies which have shown significant benefit with decreased symptoms from Parkinson’s with this treatment. You should go with your father to the next visit to his doctor to discuss this further.
To learn more about Deep Brain Stimulation, watch this video from VideoMD.com.
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