Small but 'life-changing' policy helps Parkinson's patients who need emergency care at Guelph's hospital

When people go to the emergency department, they're not allowed to take their own medications while they wait, which Theresa Daly says can be a huge problem for people with Parkinson's.

A long-time nurse and social worker who actively works in Parkinson's disease support groups, Daly says she's thrilled the hospital in Guelph, Ont., has recently made a tweak to a long-standing practice to make it easier for Parkinson's patients to take their medications on time.

"It's life-changing," Daly said. "Life-giving and life-saving and certainly quality of life saving."

Hospitals have a policy that any medication given while a person is in the hospital must be through the pharmacy or a physicians order. Hospitals will monitor every patient's medication to avoid mixing, doubling up, choking or even overdosing. But emergency departments can be very busy and this can lead to people not getting medications on time.

One of the more common medications for Parkinson's is Levodopa, used to control some of the physical deterioration symptoms. Daly says when a dose is missed, it can lead to people not feeling "normal" again for days, weeks or even months afterwards. 

The new policy at Guelph General Hospital says, an emergency department nurse is able to give permission to those with Parkinson's to take the medication they brought from home. 

Daly volunteers with the southwestern Ontario branch of Parkinson Canada and her brother also has the disease. She says she's very familiar with the toll the conditions take on both a sufferer and their loved ones. 

"To see them move into suffering because they haven't had their medication on time affects two people. The person with Parkinson's and the one who loves them. So it's a big deal," Daly said. 

Parkinson's disease is a neurological and degenerative condition. It has no cure and can get worse over time. The most commonly known issues from PD include slowness of movement, rigidity, tremors and instability. 

There are other symptoms associated with the condition including insomnia, anxiety, depression, bladder issues, faintness, leg swelling, heavy sweating, double vision and a multitude of other challenges. 

Ian Smith has Parkinson's and in the past few months, he's had to go to Guelph General Hospital three times. 

"[Parkinson's patients] all have different problems, some more than others ... and generally, hospitals don't like you bringing your own pills in," he said. 

While Smith doesn't always feel drastic effects if he misses a pill, he's familiar with how demanding the medication schedule can be. He takes three pills a day with specific food and timing restrictions. 

"My little Parkinson pill isn't high on the priority list because nobody has told them that it should be," Smith said.