SARASOTA – A Sarasota couple fighting Parkinson’s is sharing their daily highs and lows in honor of Parkinson’s Awareness Month.
Joseph Arbitsman was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2007. Both he and his wife, Sheraine say symptoms were severe.
Joseph lost his sense of smell before he was diagnosed.
“Years went by and he started to have a lot of back issues, and slowness, it was bothering him enough he went to his primary care doctor again, and he was referred to a neurologist and it was confirmed he had Parkinson’s, we got a second opinion, same thing,” said Joseph’s Wife and Caregiver, Sharaine.
Fast forward 15 years later, the couple says medications have helped but they go hand in hand with several side effects. Sherraine says Joseph now relies more on her as his caregiver as he now has some cognitive issues.
“I try to give him his independence, he can dress himself, he can make his own breakfast he can take things out of the refrigerator, I prepare things for him,” said Sharaine.
The couple says support groups and activities like the ones offered at Parkinson’s Place have helped the couple tremendously throughout the pandemic. Joseph says he’s old-fashioned which is why he prefers in-person exercise classes.
“Yoga, Boxing, Dance, we do Dance,” says Joseph.
Sheraine says no two days are the same for the couple.
“No two Parkinson’s patients are the same, you cannot compare symptoms or medications, because what works for one, does not work for the other, we struggle to find the right amount of medications and the right amount of activity and the right amount of other things,” said Sharaine.
When sharing their daily struggles the couple hopes to raise awareness for research.
“Participate in anything you can, either locally, or online, there are so many Parkinson’s organizations and they all have wonderful programs and the nice thing is you can even be at home and be able to participate,” said Sharaine.
For more information on the services offered through Parkinson’s Place, you can visit their website here.
