The Causes and Impact of Crisis for People with Parkinson’s Disease: A Patient and Carer Perspective

BACKGROUND: The reasons for acute hospital admissions among people with Parkinson’s disease are well documented. However, understanding of crises that are managed in the community is comparatively lacking. Most existing literature on the causes of crisis for people with Parkinson’s disease (PwP) uses hospital data and excludes the individual’s own perspective on the crisis trigger and the impact of the crisis on their care needs. OBJECTIVE: To identify the causes and impact of crises in both community and hospital settings, from a patient and carer perspective. METHODS: A total of 550 UK-based PwP and carers completed a survey on (a) their own personal experiences of crisis, and (b) their general awareness of potential crisis triggers for PwP. RESULTS: In addition to well-recognised causes of crisis such as falls, events less widely associated with crisis were identified, including difficulties with activities of daily living and carer absence. The less-recognised crisis triggers tended to be managed more frequently in the community. Many of these community-based crises had a greater impact on care needs than the better-known causes of crisis that more frequently required hospital care. PwP and carer responses indicated a good general knowledge of potential crisis triggers. PwP were more aware of mental health issues and carers were more aware of cognitive impairment and issues with medications. CONCLUSION: These findings could improve care of Parkinson’s by increasing understanding of crisis events from the patient and carer perspective, identifying under-recognised crisis triggers, and informing strategies for best recording symptoms from PwP and carers.