<p>This is a new chapter in my mom’s life. She lost her ability to swallow food due to her Parkinson’s disease advancement. We went to her family doctor of over 20 years and his conclusion is that she had to go for a surgery to install a gastronomical tube and we need to feed her through it.</p>
<p>Any experiences with the same kind of patient? What should we pay attention to?</p>
<p>Hi - I would recommend raising this question on the Parents Caring for Parents thread. It is stickied at the top of the Parent Cafe. Lots of excellent discussion there on a wide range of issues from medical issues to daily living issues to financial issues.
My Dad lived with Parkinsons for 17 years. Sadly, the last 3 or so included dementia. Given the route he was on, he and my mom decided that palliative care would be all after a certain threshold. In the end (severe dementia and not able to tend to any of his daily living needs), mom decided not to treat a lung infection and he died peacefully. Several of his fellow Parkinsons “journeyers” decided that the gastric tube was their threshold and elected not to have it and essentially go on medically supervised hospice. These folks were not enjoying any quality of life. My understanding is that there are significant infection concerns with the gastric tubes. That being said, a gastric tube is a viable option for someone who is not ready to say goodbye. Best wishes to you; I know how hard this situation is.</p>