PD Case Study: Bob Roberts

The main takeaway I received from Sarah's presentation was that Parkinson's Disease took a big toll on her grandfather. Having this disease transformed Mr. Roberts from a happy, joking, jolly man to someone who could barely walk or take care of himself. Parkinson's can strip individuals of their independence, making them fully rely on family members as a support system. Sarah told us a story about how her grandfather told his family he didn't have to go to occupational therapy one day, and that he just played cards instead. Little did he know that he actually was working on fine motor skills and dexterity by playing with the cards. Sarah also mentioned that if occupational therapy intervention were implemented sooner, her grandfather would have possibly had better, more successful outcomes. Since his Parkinson's was so far progressed, it was hard for him to make good gains. Parkinson's Disease can be debilitating, but someone who has been diagnosed can live a high quality of life with occupational therapy intervention.