Vreni M.

Vreni M. has a husband who suffers from Parkinson's disease. Due to her husband's illness, she gives up her practice as a psychotherapist one year after the diagnosis, but continues to work on a limited basis for a longer period of time. Maintaining her "own" life is very important to her in the context of her role as a family carer. She goes to a support group for relatives of people with PD, which helps her a lot. Profession: Psychotherapist

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TEXT

Self-help for relatives

For Vreni M., the exchange in the self-help group is valuable.

TRANSCRIPT

Vreni M.: After one or one and a half years, I also went to the self-help group for relatives, they were all women. Men apparently don't go to the self-help groups, although there are just as many women who have Parkinson's as men. Interviewer: I know. Vreni M.: And yes, they all talked about how their husbands were doing and less about how they were doing with it. They talked more about the men than about themselves. And I listened to all of this and then heard a lot more about the practical consequences, what it could mean and what I could have to face. And then they asked me once, doesn't it scare you when you hear all this? And then I said, "No, I just want to hear what's coming or what could come. Interviewer: You can prepare yourself. Vreni M.: Exactly. I'd rather deal with it than fight it off. Yes, you can react in different ways.

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Immobility, tremors and changes of character

Vreni M. tells about how the first complaints appeared with her husband and that over time he also seemed to her to have changed in character.

Diagnosis