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Dear Sara: I think it would help all of you for your dad to have an electric bed fitted with side rails and a control he can use to raise the head of the bed when he has breathing problems. This will also cut down on panic attacks. Parkinsonians can die from anything anybody dies from - even old age, but in my experience aspiration pneumonia is high on the list. Because of PD slowing down the gastro-intestinal peristalsis, and because our drugs cause constipation, some people get fecal impaction which needs to be dealt with. Some get a more serious problem which is hard to deal with and some die from fecal obstruction which caused a perforation. DO NOT TAKE CONSTIPATION LIGHTLY - DO NOT LET YOUR DOCTOR TAKE YOUR PROBLEMS WITH CONSTIPATION LIGHTLY. Depression needs to be treated and maybe some of the above will improve en route. Barbara Yacos, R.N. <[log in to unmask]>