A year ago, I started the podcast When Life Gives You Parkinson’s. I had been diagnosed a year earlier, on August 17, 2017, with Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease at the age of 45. I can feel the disease progressing.

I update my co-host Niki Reitmayer on my symptoms. In the last six months, I continue to have trouble getting a good night’s sleep, I’m now battling day time fatigue. I have long stretches of numbness and pain from neuropathy in my feet, increased body pains, anxiety, hot flashes, and unplanned weight loss. Maybe most concerning for me is that my wife Rebecca has noticed my personality is changing.

As I talk to others with Parkinson’s, “shift in personality” is not an uncommon observation. The spouses of BBC TV and radio writer, producer and comedian Paul Mayhew Archer, American Ninja Warrior Jimmy Choi and Amazing Race Canada winner Tim Hague all noticed personality shifts. 

Personality shifts in people with Parkinson’s can be triggered by many different things including; increased fears and loss of control of one’s life, medication side effects, depression, pain, anxiety, fatigue and missed or incorrect dosages of medication.

Our partners at Parkinson Canada offer the following advice when a person with Parkinson’s begins demonstrating more aggressive behavior, which occurs more subtly in the initial years and is more pronounced in late stages of Parkinson’s especially when accompanies by dementia.
Stay calm.
Review the PD medication schedule to see if a dose has been missed or taken incorrectly.
Give the person space to cool down. Try to leave about 5 feet between you.
Ask what is troubling the person so that you can identify the cause of the emotion and behaviour. • Listen to the person. Resist arguing or being confrontational, but provide reassurance. For example, “I know it is really frustrating when you can’t control what is happening…”
Speak slowly, and in a clear, confident, and reassuring voice. Raising your voice may escalate the situation.
Redirect the person to focus away from the issue causing aggression. Offer to take a walk, or do a calming activity together.
If your safety is threatened, leave the situation, and return after a few minutes.

Thank you for listening. Add your voice to the show and leave a message for us here; https://www.speakpipe.com/WhenLifeGivesYouParkinsons

Follow me, Larry Gifford 

Twitter: @ParkinsonsPod

Facebook: Facebook.com/ParkinsonsPod

Instagram: @parkinsonspod

Follow Co-host and Producer Niki Reitmeyer

Twitter: @Niki_Reitmayer

Thank you to…

Paul Mayhew Archer http://mayhew-archer.com/

Tim & Sheryl Hague http://uturnparkinsons.org/

Jimmy Choi https://www.facebook.com/jcfoxninja/

Naomi Casiro BSc. (Kin), MPT, Certified PWR      https://www.neurofitbc.com/

Henry Gifford

Rebecca Gifford

For more info on our presenting partner Parkinson Canada head to http://www.parkinson.ca/

The toll free hotline 1-800-565-3000

Or follow them on Twitter

Parkinson Canada           @ParkinsonCanada

Thanks also to our content and promotional partners

Parkinson’s IQ + You– A free, series of Parkinson’s events from the Michael J. Fox Foundation

Spotlight YOPD – The only Parkinson’s organization dedicated to raising awareness for Young Onset Parkinson’s disease and funds for the Cure Parkinson’s Trust. 

A year ago, I started the podcast When Life Gives You Parkinson&rsquo;s. I had been diagnosed a year earlier, on August 17, 2017, with Young Onset Parkinson&rsquo;s Disease at the age of 45. I can feel the disease progressing.
I update my co-host Niki Reitmayer on my symptoms. In the last six months, I continue to have trouble getting a good night&rsquo;s sleep, I&rsquo;m now battling day time fatigue. I have long stretches of numbness and pain from neuropathy in my feet, increased body pains, anxiety, hot flashes, and unplanned weight loss. Maybe most concerning for me is that my wife Rebecca has noticed my personality is changing.
As I talk to others with Parkinson&rsquo;s, &ldquo;shift in personality&rdquo; is not an uncommon observation. The spouses of BBC TV and radio writer, producer and comedian Paul Mayhew Archer, American Ninja Warrior Jimmy Choi and Amazing Race Canada winner Tim Hague all noticed personality shifts.&nbsp;
Personality shifts in people with Parkinson&rsquo;s can be triggered by many different things including; increased fears and loss of control of one&rsquo;s life, medication side effects, depression, pain, anxiety, fatigue and missed or incorrect dosages of medication.
Our partners at <a href="Our%20partners%20at%20Parkinson%20Canada%20suggest%20the%20following:">Parkinson Canada offer the following advice</a> when a person with Parkinson&rsquo;s begins demonstrating more aggressive behavior, which occurs more subtly in the initial years and is more pronounced in late stages of Parkinson&rsquo;s especially when accompanies by dementia.
<ul>
<li>Stay calm.</li>
<li>Review the PD medication schedule to see if a dose has been missed or taken incorrectly.</li>
<li>Give the person space to cool down. Try to leave about 5 feet between you.</li>
<li>Ask what is troubling the person so that you can identify the cause of the emotion and behaviour. &bull; Listen to the person. Resist arguing or being confrontational, but provide reassurance. For example, &ldquo;I know it is really frustrating when you can&rsquo;t control what is happening&hellip;&rdquo;</li>
<li>Speak slowly, and in a clear, confident, and reassuring voice. Raising your voice may escalate the situation.</li>
<li>Redirect the person to focus away from the issue causing aggression. Offer to take a walk, or do a calming activity together.</li>
<li>If your safety is threatened, leave the situation, and return after a few minutes.</li>
</ul>
Thank you for listening. Add your voice to the show and leave a message for us here; <a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/WhenLifeGivesYouParkinsons">https://www.speakpipe.com/WhenLifeGivesYouParkinsons</a>
Follow me, Larry Gifford&nbsp;
Twitter:&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/ParkinsonsPod">@ParkinsonsPod</a>
Facebook:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/ParkinsonsPod/">Facebook.com/ParkinsonsPod</a>
Instagram:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/parkinsonspod/">@parkinsonspod</a>
Follow Co-host and Producer Niki Reitmeyer
Twitter:&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/niki_reitmayer?lang=en">@Niki_Reitmayer</a>
Thank you to&hellip;
Paul Mayhew Archer <a href="http://mayhew-archer.com/">http://mayhew-archer.com/</a>
Tim &amp; Sheryl Hague <a href="http://uturnparkinsons.org/">http://uturnparkinsons.org/</a>
Jimmy Choi <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jcfoxninja/">https://www.facebook.com/jcfoxninja/</a>
Naomi Casiro BSc. (Kin), MPT, Certified PWR&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="https://www.neurofitbc.com/">https://www.neurofitbc.com/</a>
Henry Gifford
Rebecca Gifford
For more info on our presenting partner Parkinson Canada head to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.parkinson.ca/">http://www.parkinson.ca/</a>
The toll free hotline 1-800-565-3000
Or follow them on Twitter
Parkinson Canada&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="https://twitter.com/ParkinsonCanada?lang=en">@ParkinsonCanada</a>
Thanks also to our content and promotional partners
<a href="https://www.michaeljfox.org/parkinsons-iq-you">Parkinson&rsquo;s IQ + You</a>&ndash; A free, series of Parkinson&rsquo;s events from the Michael J. Fox Foundation
<a href="https://spotlightyopd.org/">Spotlight YOPD</a> &ndash; The only Parkinson&rsquo;s organization dedicated to raising awareness for Young Onset Parkinson&rsquo;s disease and funds for the Cure Parkinson&rsquo;s Trust.&nbsp;

When Life Gives You Parkinson’s is an honest, funny, and engaging podcast chronicling host Larry Gifford’s personal journey with Parkinson’s disease. Gifford, his wife Rebecca, and their son Henry live in Vancouver, British Columbia. Gifford has worked in radio for more than 30 years. In August 2017 he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s at the age of 45. Now in its fourth season, When Life Gives You Parkinson’s is a first-hand account of what it is like to live with PD for Gifford, his family, and other members of the worldwide Parkinson’s community.

Listeners also get the perspective of his wife and partner in Parkinson's each week, as his wife Rebecca Gifford replaced Niki Reitmayer as co-host of the podcast in 2020. Larry & Rebecca often veer into intimate chats letting listeners eavesdrop on their everyday life. Mr. Gifford uses humour to diffuse heavy content and give the podcast a hopeful tone. He gives voice to Parkinson’s experts and advocates from around the world and together they openly tackle tough topics. The authentic, frank conversations along with compelling storytelling is what makes this podcast interesting, informative, and enlightening.

"Larry didn't get Parkinson's, Parkinson's got Larry - this podcast is a gift to the community." Dan D., Vancouver.

Special thank you to our partners. Presenting partner is Parkinson Canada, content and promotional partner Spotlight YOPD, and The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research Parkinson’s IQ + You,PD Avengers World Parkinson Congress #WPC2023 in Barcelona, Spain.

When Life Gives You Parkinson&rsquo;s is an honest, funny, and engaging podcast chronicling host Larry Gifford&rsquo;s personal journey with Parkinson&rsquo;s disease. Gifford, his wife Rebecca, and their son Henry live in Vancouver, British Columbia. Gifford has worked in radio for more than 30 years. In August 2017 he was diagnosed with Parkinson&rsquo;s at the age of 45. Now in its fourth season, When Life Gives You Parkinson&rsquo;s is a first-hand account of what it is like to live with PD for Gifford, his family, and other members of the worldwide Parkinson&rsquo;s community.
Listeners also get the perspective of his wife and partner in Parkinson's each week, as his wife Rebecca Gifford replaced Niki Reitmayer as co-host of the podcast in 2020. Larry &amp; Rebecca often veer into intimate chats letting listeners eavesdrop on their everyday life. Mr. Gifford uses humour to diffuse heavy content and give the podcast a hopeful tone. He gives voice to Parkinson&rsquo;s experts and advocates from around the world and together they openly tackle tough topics. The authentic, frank conversations along with compelling storytelling is what makes this podcast interesting, informative, and enlightening.
"Larry didn't get Parkinson's, Parkinson's got Larry - this podcast is a gift to the community." Dan D., Vancouver.
Special thank you to our partners. Presenting partner is <a href="https://www.parkinson.ca">Parkinson Canada</a>, content and promotional partner <a href="https://spotlightyopd.org/">Spotlight YOPD</a>, and <a href="https://www.michaeljfox.org/parkinsons-iq-you">The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson&rsquo;s Research Parkinson&rsquo;s IQ + You,</a> <a href="http://www.pdavengers.com">PD Avengers </a> <a href="http://www.wpc2023.org">World Parkinson Congress #WPC2023 in Barcelona, Spain</a>.

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