Supporting elderly people with Parkinson disease together ～The basics of multidisciplinary care for PD and PD educators～

Abstract

Currently, Japan is in a super–aging society that the world has never experienced before, and although the total population has entered a declining phase, the aging rate is steadily increasing. As the population ages further, it is predicted that Parkinson disease, a major factor of which is aging, will increase in the future. As the number of patients with problems such as multimorbidities and polypharmacy, which are characteristic of the elderly, is increasing, there is a strong need for a comprehensive response from the perspective of geriatric medicine, not just a single disease such as Parkinson disease. For that purpose, it is important that multi–professionals collaborate throughout the region to support the patient's sense of values. However, rural areas in Japan face many problems, such as the shortage and uneven distribution of movement disorder specialists, the shortage of caregivers, and the aging of caregivers. Therefore, it is not always easy for elderly people with Parkinson disease to access specialized medical care. One of the solutions to such problems is the use of ICT. In the Aizu region, where the author conducts medical care, a system is being put in place for collaboration and cooperation among multiple professions using ICT as described above in medical care, nursing care, and welfare. There must be many regions in Japan with medical care problems like Aizu. Therefore, it would be our great pleasure if you could make use of ICT as tool for regional medical and nursing care cooperation, and reconsider multi–professional collaboration for personalized comprehensive support, using this region as a model.