Living with Parkinson's disease in the community: improving assessments and interventions

Understanding how long-term illness affects quality of life for patients and families is central to providing individualised, patient-focused care in the community, as Leire Ambrosio and colleagues explain

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a long-term condition that affects patients' and carers' quality of life. It is important to develop and implement new approaches that bring together health and psychosocial care for people living with chronic illnesses such as PD. The authors emphasise the role of primary care nurses in supporting patients and their informal carers, and outline how practitioners can focus care on patients' psychosocial as well as physical needs. The article includes a literature review of the process of living with PD and discusses the development and implementation of interventions based on assessments tailored to the individual needs of patients and their carers.