Quality of life of patients with Parkinson’s disease and their families

Abstract

Abstract Aim. The purpose was to determine the quality of life of Parkinson’s disease patients and their family members and to identify the factors that affect it. Material and methods. The research sample included 183 patients with Parkinson’s disease and 78 family members. Quality of life was assessed using the Czech Quality of Life Questionnaire of Patients with Progressive Neurological Disease. Results. Patients with a longer duration of the disease had a lower overall quality of life. The connection between higher dependence of patients on daily activities, and higher degree of motor disability was associated with a poorer quality of life in patients. In family members, an association was demonstrated between older age and a lower quality of life in the domain of normal daily activity, social and spiritual area. With older age, the higher burden of symptoms also increased and deteriorated overall quality of life. The connection between higher dependence of patients on daily activities and a worse quality of life of caregivers in the three domain was confirmed. Conclusions. Regular assessment of the impact of Parkinson’s disease on the quality of life of patients and their family and the identification of factors that affect it can help prioritize the treatment planning phase.