Today on World Parkinson’s day I am sharing the story of one of my patients we’ll call Jack (his name has been changed for confidentiality), who has been living with Parkinson’s disease for 15 years.
The tremor, rigidity and slowed movement has affected many of his daily activities, including his ability to brush his teeth.
The first time I met Jack, he was brought into the clinic in a wheelchair by his carer, his gaze was attentive and thoughtful as I explained the state of his oral health and how I could help him. I noticed he was wearing knee pads and asked why. Jack said, “because my light bulb needed changing so I wore knee pads just in case I fell off the ladder.” His carer smiled and said, “Jack’s the type of person who would much rather wear knee pads and take half and hour to change the lighbulb himself, than get me to do it in 5 minutes.”
While the Parkinson’s disease has affected Jack’s life in many ways, he does not let it define who he is. Jack is still the resilient, fiercely independent, and reliable person he always has been.
I saw my role as adapting the dentistry and oral healthcare to Jack, not his Parkinson’s disease. So while the disease might typically dictate the assistance of a carer for his oral hygiene, for Jack, we have adapted his toothbrush handle with layers of aluminum foil so he can hold the brush and perform his oral hygiene independently. Toothbrushing for Jack means much more than getting the plaque off his teeth, it’s a symbol of his independence and his tenacity.
Treat the patient, not the disease.
People are defined by their humanity, not by their disease.