Who Can Use the Guide

If you are living with Parkinson’s, you know that preparation is essential to making the most of each day. The Hospital Safety Guide will help you prepare for your next hospital stay. The tools and information in this guide will also help protect you when you travel or in case of an emergency.

The Parkinson’s Foundation recommends you take the following steps:

• Order your guide here or call our Helpline at 1-800-4PD-INFO (1-800-473-4636) to learn more.

• Read the guide. Take the time to understand how to use each item in the guide and how to prepare for a planned or emergency hospital visit.

• Bring the Doctor’s Letter: Parkinson’s Hospital Care Needs to your next Parkinson’s appointment for your doctor to sign. Ask any questions about the five needs, which are outlined in the letter.

• Carry Parkinson’s identification in case of an emergency. Use the Medical Alert Card or purchase a medical alert bracelet. You can also use the Medical ID feature on your smartphone (learn how here).

• Prepare a hospital Parkinson’s “go bag” as soon as possible. Gather these items:
  • Your Parkinson’s Foundation Hospital Safety Guide
  • Completed Medication Form and signed Doctor’s Letter
  • Current medications in labeled pharmacy bottles (2+day supply)
  • Completed Advance Directives
• Keep your go bag by the door. Take it with you when you go out and let family and friends know where to find it in case you need to go to the hospital unexpectedly.
• Choose a “hospital care partner” to accompany you in the hospital. Learn more about how to pick a hospital care partner and how to prepare that person to advocate for you in the hospital within the guide.
• Tell others about the Hospital Safety Guide. If you have friends or colleagues living with Parkinson’s, please share the Hospital Safety Guide with them so that we can raise awareness of these serious issues.

• Order your guide here or call our Helpline at 1-800-4PD-INFO (1-800-473-4636) to learn more.

• Read the guide. Take the time to understand how to use each item in the guide and how to prepare for a planned or emergency hospital visit.

• Help your loved one pack their Hospital “go bag.” Add an emergency contact list, an extra supply of their Parkinson’s medications in their original bottles, a completed Medication Form and a copy of your loved one’s healthcare proxy card.

• Help your loved one set up a Medical Alert Card and put it in their wallet.

• Bring the Doctor’s Letter: Parkinson’s Hospital Care Needs to your loved one’s next Parkinson’s appointment for their doctor to sign. Ask any questions about the five needs, which are outlined in the letter. Talk to them about the strategies you will use to help your loved one get better care during the next hospital visit.

• Never leave a person with Parkinson’s alone in the hospital. Ask family and friends to help you the next time your loved one is hospitalized so there is always someone at his or her side during the entire hospital stay. Be sure each person who is helping understands the needs of the patient and is able to communicate those needs to healthcare staff.

As a support group leader, you play a vital role in communicating critical information to people with Parkinson’s, their caregivers and families.

You can use the Hospital Safety Guide materials to discuss the risks that people with Parkinson’s face in the hospital, as well as some of the strategies available to avoid these risks and get high-quality care during the next hospital visit.

The Parkinson’s Foundation recommends you take the following steps:

• Get a sample guide. Call the Parkinson’s Foundation Helpline at 1-800-4PD-INFO (1-800-473-4636) to order sample guides to show your members, as well as fact sheets to let members know how to order their own.
• Plan a presentation for your group. Connect with a Parkinson’s Foundation Ambassador who can speak to your group, virtually or in person, to help members understand the risks of hospitalization and the tools that can help them stay safe in the hospital.

As a health care professional, you strive each day to provide quality care to every patient. Whether you work in inpatient care, in the Emergency Department, or in outpatient procedures or surgeries, the Parkinson’s Foundation offers free continuing education courses on its Learning Lab.

Our course Optimizing Hospital Care for People with Parkinson’s is designed to meet the educational needs of physicians, physician assistants, nurses, pharmacists, psychologists and social workers. You can complete the course in its entirety or choose one of the three independent courses are most relevant to you.

• Home Away from Home: Care for the Inpatient
• Managing Care in the Emergency Department
• Well Rounded Care in the Outpatient Setting

Help make an impact in improving PD care. Here are some ways you can raise awareness about the needs of people with Parkinson’s in your hospital:

• Share our educational courses with members of your team. Share vital information during a staff meeting. If there is a Parkinson’s Foundation Ambassador in your area, we can help set up a presentation about the importance of this initiative. Introduce the need for more information and encourage your colleagues to learn more!
• Review the Parkinson’s Foundation Hospital Care Recommendations. Discuss whether any of the recommendations could be implemented with your hospital leadership.
• Get Connected. If your hospital is improving care for Parkinson’s patients, we want to know about it. Email our helpline at Helpline@Parkinson.org.

At the Parkinson’s Foundation, we are committed to preparing future clinicians to care for people living with Parkinson’s, caregivers and families. If you teach students who hope to become doctors, nurses, physician assistants, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, or social workers, we would love to arm you with the tools to teach them about the importance of hospital safety for patients with Parkinson’s.

Here are some ways you can raise awareness about the needs of people with Parkinson’s with your students:

• Order a Hospital Safety Guide. Review the guide to get familiar with the special circumstances that people with Parkinson’s face in the hospital, especially around medication timing and contraindicated medications.
• Share the Hospital Safety Guide with your students. Consider including it in your curriculum. Connect with us to host a Parkinson’s Foundation Ambassador presentation, which can be virtual or in-person, to highlight the importance of hospital safety.
• Encourage students to use the Parkinson’s Foundation Learning Lab. Certificates are provided upon completion of each course. It could be a great way for students to earn extra credit in your class.

Whether you are a doctor, nurse, physician assistant, physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech-language pathologist, social worker or other clinician who provides care to people with PD, you play a vital role in communicating critical information to people with Parkinson’s and their care partners.

We are happy to supply a sample Hospital Safety Guide for any clinician who treats people with Parkinson’s and wants to share the guide with their patients/clients. Use materials from the guide to help you discuss the risks that people with Parkinson’s face in the hospital, as well as the strategies that can help avoid these risks and lead to high-quality care during the next hospital visit.

Request a sample guide. Call the Parkinson’s Foundation Helpline at 1-800-4PD-INFO (1-800-473-4636) to order a sample guide to show your patients/clients, as well as postcards to let them know how to order their own guide.