Try This if Your Loved One is Losing Weight Because of Parkinson’s

Living with Parkinson’s disease presents certain challenges to patients and caregivers. Increased caloric expenditure due to tremors, changes to one’s sense of smell, and medication side effects such as nausea make it difficult for a person with the disease to maintain a healthy weight. “Weight loss in individuals with Parkinson’s is fairly common and can have devastating effects, as it impacts mobility, quality of life, and level of function,” says Denise Burd, nursing faculty member at Bellarmine University. To overcome this challenge, Burd suggests to “always have [the patient’s] favorite foods available and increase your use of seasonings on individual dishes to increase flavor.”