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This is my first time writing the group. My father, 59, was diagnosed with PD 14 years ago. Medication was successful for the most part (although he had to leave his job as a professor due to speech problems 5 years ago) until a little over a year ago when he began to have severe paranoia. (He had had hallucinations before then, but they had stopped for the most part when his neurologist changed medication.) His neurologist decided that he would put him on a "drug holiday" to see what medication he should change. As a result of the drug holiday, bed sores, blood clots and dehydration, my father ended up in a physical rehab unit for over six months. I lived two hours away at the time and visited on weekends. We were finally able to bring him home (in a wheelchair) in late November of '95. His muscles had atrophied due to lack of use. Visiting nurses have been taking care of him for the past six months (as well as my mother). I've moved home just for the summer, and now I take care of him in the mornings. We were finally able to start physical therapy again last month. My father is improving rapidly (he began to do much better after he was home--I think it was mentally easier for him with his family around), and today he stood by himself for a while. While I don't think it's likely he'll be able to walk completely on his own again, I think there's a good chance he''l be able to use a walker. At least his spirits are really good. Meanwhile, he wavers in and out of a somewhat confused dementia-type state. Sometimes he asks me what year it is, and others he'll ask where my father (who lives overseas) is. At other times he knows where and when he is, and is completely lucid. All of this is hard on my mother, but then she's a trooper. Right now I don't really have any questions for the group. I joined to have an idea of what's going on in the field, and to see how other people are dealing with the various stages. Helene Marcy [log in to unmask]