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Mother (85/6) has been going downhill quite rapidly in the past few months. She hasn't been able to walk on her own for about four years. With help she has been able to walk only about fifteen feet. Now, she can walk with help only a few steps (and it is hardly a walk--one foot is turned so that it looks like her ankle is going to break). She is now suddenly also having difficulty getting in and out of bed. She has a hospital bed with a triangle hold above her. They live in a rural area--thousands of miles away from me. We are all sure she is under-medicated (She takes a 50/250 Sinemet in the early morning and one at noon, and just recently has been adding Permax), but no one is sure the medication she has is doing anything. The D.O. she has been seeing is leaving the community. There are no other doctors in town. Anyway, Dad wants to take her to Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale. Does anyone know if they need a doctor referral to go there? Can they just call the clinic directly and get an appointment? Is the Mayo Clinic connected in some way with the Barrows Neurological Institute? They have about a ten hour drive to Scottsdale. Does anyone have any idea how long they would have to stay to get adequate help? Does anyone know any inexpensive motels in the area? Any other ideas? Thank you for being there. Joan D. (56/8/Amantadine)