A company called My Therapy offers a free app to help you keep track of when you should take your pills, when you have doctor appointments, and how often you’re getting physical exercise. They sent me the following promotional text; if it interests you, you should investigate further. – Bruce
April 11th marks the birth of the renowned doctor, James Parkinson. As his surname suggests, Dr Parkinson was the first person to describe paralysis agitans or what is now known as Parkinson’s disease. The 11th of April is a significant day for those affected by Parkinson’s disease because it signifies World Parkinson’s Disease Day – an initiative designed to increase awareness about this awful and incurable condition.
Parkinson’s disease is the second most common age-related neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer’s disease. It is estimated that an overwhelming number of seven to 10 million people have Parkinson’s worldwide. Recent statistics show that about 60 000 Americans are diagnosed with the disease each year and that currently, there are at least one million Americans living with this disabling condition.
Characterised by uncontrollable shaking, rigidity, slowness of movement, difficulty with walking, and ultimately dementia, Parkinson’s disease is a long-term disorder of the central nervous system that unfortunately has no cure. However, symptoms can be managed with antiparkinson medications, some form of rehabilitation, and surgery.
Managing medication regimens and remembering when to take medication can be challenging, particularly for the elderly. From setting an alarm clock or relying on someone else, people use various forms of reminders to take their medication. Yet sometimes, these methods aren’t very effective and non-adherence to medication can have severe consequences, especially regarding Parkinson’s disease.
With the continuous development of technology and the wide availability of smartphones and internet access, app developers have capitalised on opportunities to develop apps that meet people’s wants and needs. There is a plethora of health-related smartphone apps, many of which are targeted at medication adherence. One such app is MyTherapy, which has been designed by a company in Germany to help people with chronic illnesses. The app is both a medication reminder and health tracker, and comes with numerous practical features that can offer valuable support to those living with Parkinson’s disease.
The app generates constant and reliable reminders via alarms and pop-up notifications, thereby ensuring that patients never skip an important dose. It is designed to handle complex medication regimens and breaks down treatment plans into simple to-do lists. As it is user-friendly, the app can be used by both patients and healthcare professionals, and with its built-in health journal, patients can track their symptoms, record important measurements, set daily exercise goals, and set reminders for doctor’s and rehabilitation appointments. In the late stages of the disease when dementia sets in, the app can then be used by healthcare professionals or family members to remind them to give the patient his/her medication.
Logging in data is easy and all patients (or healthcare professionals) have to do is search for the required medication via the app’s built-in database or use the barcode scanner to scan the medication package. All logged data is recorded and this information can be printed out at the end of the month and shared with the patient’s doctor. MyTherapy therefore simplifies the task of managing treatment regimens and offers much-needed help in the form of medication management. Furthermore, family members and friends can be invited on the app to provide extra support to the patient.
Medications can go a long way in helping people with Parkinson’s manage the disease. But medication is only as good as the person who takes it. This is why it is important to have methods in place to help with medication adherence. Patients with Parkinson’s often experience a significant improvement of their symptoms after beginning treatment – but only if the medication is taken responsibly and regularly. It is also important for patients to work closely with their doctors to find a treatment plan that offers the greatest relief from symptoms. MyTherapy is designed to be both patient- and doctor-centered, meaning that treatment-as-maintenance of symptoms is something that does not have to be done alone. Lastly, the app is free and users can rest assured that their data and privacy is protected at all times.
It is important that we all educate ourselves on diseases like Parkinson’s, and that we encourage people with the condition to seek help and get all the support they can regarding medication adherence and lifestyle improvement via rehabilitation, healthy-eating, and exercise.
