Ep. 7 A Caregivers Guide

How do you manage a complex neurodegenerative disease from 2,000 miles away? In this episode of This is Parkinson's, Lisa Volenec sits down with Angie Allison, a daughter and advocate who turned her father Ron’s 15-year battle with Parkinson’s into a masterclass in caregiving. Angie pulls back the curtain on the "Parkinson’s Iceberg," discussing the non-motor symptoms that are often more challenging than the physical tremors—including apathy, depression, and hallucinations. Whether you are a care partner, a family member, or a patient, Angie’s "meet them in the moment" philosophy offers a beautiful, practical approach to maintaining dignity and quality of life. Key Takeaways: The "Unified Force": How to split responsibilities among siblings. Portal Advocacy: Why being the "squeaky wheel" with medical teams saves lives. The Emotional Shift: Learning to not take the "disease talking" personally. Environmental Factors: A look at why the Midwest is considered a "cluster" for PD. ━━━━━━ ꕤ Support the mission of This is Parkinson’s Donate here: https://bit.ly/thisisparkinsonsdonate ━━━━━━ ꕤ Follow us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisisparkinsonsdisease Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thisisparkinsonsdisease ━━━━━━ ꕤ About This is Parkinson’s: This is Parkinson’s is a nonprofit storytelling platform dedicated to sharing honest conversations about life with Parkinson’s disease. Through interviews with patients, caregivers, advocates, and experts, TIP aims to educate, reduce stigma, and build a community around the realities of living with Parkinson’s. Learn more: https://www.thisisparkinsons.org Contact: info@thisisparkinsons.org ━━━━━━ ꕤ 🔔 🩵 ⟢ Thank you for watching and supporting TIP. Your support helps amplify the voices of the Parkinson’s community and brings greater awareness to this disease. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices