A condition that does not run on the home's timetable
Parkinson's presents a care home with three very specific problems the brochure never mentions: medication timing, falls and swallowing difficulties. A home that is excellent for other residents can be genuinely poor for someone with Parkinson's — and the reverse is true too.
Medication timing: the non-negotiable
Parkinson's medication is taken at set times, sometimes five or six times a day, and being thirty minutes late can leave someone unable to move who was walking an hour earlier. Yet many homes run fixed medication rounds — 8am, midday, 6pm, 8pm — that have nothing to do with your relative's prescribed schedule.
This is exactly what the "Get It On Time" campaign is about, and it is the single most important question you can ask: "can you give the medication at 7:30, 10:30, 1:30, 4:30 and 7:30 if that is what the consultant prescribes?" A vague answer is an answer.
Ask two follow-ups: can the resident self-administer if they are able and wish to, and is medication kept accessible rather than locked on a trolley that arrives when it arrives?
Falls: what actually protects
People with Parkinson's fall differently — freezing of gait, turning, transfers from bed to chair. What matters: regular physiotherapy (not only after a fall), clear corridors with visual floor cues, staff trained in these specific transfers, and a fast response to the call bell at night. Ask how many physiotherapy sessions a week, and with whom.
Swallowing and meals
Swallowing problems arrive as the condition progresses and bring risks of aspiration and malnutrition. A good home adapts textures, allows time for meals and works with a speech and language therapist. Ask whether a swallowing assessment is arranged and by whom.
Specialist input does not stop at the door
Moving in does not mean losing the consultant or the Parkinson's nurse specialist — arguably the most valuable professional in the whole picture. Check that the home maintains that link and arranges transport to appointments; medication adjustments are constant in this condition.
Five questions for the visit
1. Can you follow an individual medication schedule to the minute?
2. How many physiotherapy sessions a week, and with whom?
3. Do you have other residents with Parkinson's, and for how long?
4. What do you do about swallowing difficulties — SALT referral, adapted textures?
5. How do you handle "off" periods and medication-related hallucinations?
Finding homes that genuinely manage this
Describe the situation (stage, medication, area) and Curalune Care Help prepares 3–5 matched homes within 24 working hours, with these questions already tailored to your case.
General information only; it does not replace advice from the consultant, GP or Parkinson's nurse. Curalune does not arrange placements and does not guarantee availability.
The starting point, already done
Finding suitable homes, checking they can meet the level of care and gathering the contacts takes days of phone calls. Curalune Care Help gives you that starting point: 3 to 5 suitable care homes within 24 business hours, with contacts, links and a ready-to-send message you can put to all of them at once. £69, one-off: if you don't receive at least 3 homes matching the area and criteria you gave us, we refund you in full. Start here
