My father is 76 years old and was diagnosed with parkinson's disease about (6) years ago. Until recently, the parkinson's hadn't affected his mobility markedly, but his energy level had waned quite a bit.

About (3) months ago, my father suffered a stroke following heart-bypass surgery. His recovery has been very good from a mobility standpoint. Although the stroke partially paralyzed his left-side, he's regained movement in all but his fingers and can now walk without assistance. Unfortunately, his cognitive functions have been seriuosly impaired. He is often confused, sometimes delusional, and is unable to perform simple tasks such as getting dressed or going to the bathroom without assistance.

What we don't know is how much of this dysfunction is the result of the stroke and how much is due to acceleration of his parkinson's disease. There is also a possibility that post operative cognitive dysfunction has affected his cognition (apparently, pocd can be a serious problem for older people who've had surgery).

My family still has hope that my father will make a full recovery. Thanks to the "brainrecovery.Com" web site, we are considering treatments such as hbot and vinpocetine for stroke recovery, and glutathione injections for parkinson's disease. It has also been suggested that my father have full-body messages to overcome the effects of pocd.

If anyone has had experience with similar situations (parkinson's and stroke together), would you please share any advice or suggestions. Many thanks!

-- jb