Management of Parkinson's Disease during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Challenges and Opportunities

Bradley McDaniels, Michael Braitsch, Dan Novak, Shilpa Chitnis

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

COVID-19 has wreaked havoc in the lives of people worldwide, but for people who are elderly and have comorbid chronic conditions, the pandemic has been particularly devastating. Despite the growing research on the effects of COVID-19 on people with Parkinson's disease (PD), the long-term effects are unknown. Research does not support a higher n'sk of contracting COVID-19 among people with PD; however, the indirect effects of the pandemic mitigation efforts on the lives of people with PD are significant The interruption of routine medical care and physical therapy and exercise programs along with the indirect effects of social distancing and pervasive lock downs appear to have contributed to worsening of previously experienced PD-related symptoms and the development of new ones. This pandemic has challenged the entire healthcare delivery model and, for people with PD, the resultant repercussions on quality of life have been and continue to be particularly consequential. In this article, we will describe how COVID-19 has negatively impacted the lives of, and healthcare protocols for, people with PD, along with a discussion of the broad implications and possible solutions (e.g., virtual exercise classes, telemedicine).

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)71-79
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of Rehabilitation
Volume87
Issue number1
StatePublished - Jan 1 2021

Keywords

  • Covid-19
  • Parkinson's disease
  • Quality of life
  • Social distancing

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Rehabilitation
  • Clinical Psychology
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
  • Psychiatry and Mental health

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