Health library

Household adjustments can help people with Parkinson's disease.

Many of the challenges of Parkinson's disease crop up in simple, day-to-day tasks. The American Parkinson Disease Association offers these tips for making life around the house simpler and safer.

In the bathroom:

• Buy a shower chair or tub bench.
• Put a nonslip mat or strips on the shower floor.
• Install grab bars.
• Use soap on a rope with a long-handled bath brush or a terry cloth mitt for bathing.
• Switch to an electric razor.

In the clothes closet:

• Lower the clothes rods in your closets.
• Buy clothing that closes in the front with simple fasteners.
• Replace buttons and zippers with Velcro strips or dots.
• Sew firm elastic bands into shirt cuffs so they don't need to be buttoned.
• Put on and take off clothes from your stiffer side first.
• Get a dressing stick, which helps pull pants and shorts over feet and legs.
• Switch to elastic shoelaces.

In the kitchen:

• Arrange your kitchen to make cooking easier—store pots next to the stove, for example.
• Buy a cutting board with raised sides.
• Sit down while you prepare food.
• Try a rocking knife and silverware with built-up handles to make eating easier.
• Place a rubber pad or wet dishcloth under bowls and pans during food preparation.
• Move food from kitchen to table on a cart with wheels.
• Use a lazy Susan on the table or counters.
• Add a plate guard, a rim that attaches to one side of your plate, or use scoop dishes with raised edges.
• Try plastic straws or lightweight mugs with large handles for easier drinking.

Reviewed 12/6/2024