Families and Parkinson’s Disease
PD affects the whole family. This is true regardless of the age that someone is diagnosed with PD. These resources focus on the changing family roles and relationships when PD enters the picture.
Some resources on this page address the needs of adult children. If you have young children at home, see our special section for applicable resources on the Young Onset PD page.
Short Overviews
Dealing with Relationship Changes
Published by Parkinson’s Foundation
Some PD symptoms that affect body language and speaking ability can interfere with your ability to communicate as a parent, spouse, friend, grandparent or employee. This page provides an overview with links to more reading, podcasts, and webinars for more information about communicating with your partner (including intimacy), your children, and your employer.
Parkinson's and Relationships
Published by American Parkinson Disease Association
This page discusses how stress from having PD can affect relationships in unexpected ways. It provides general information and links to other pages, webinars, etc. for a deeper dive into navigating different types of relationships, including your spouse or partner, friends and family, and parenting with PD.
Relationships and Family Life
Published by Fight Parkinson's
This page offers practical tips to help keep family members on the same page following diagnosis and throughout your Parkinson’s journey, including relationship changes with your spouse or partner, how to talk with your children or grandchildren, and navigating intimacy or sexual problems, including hypersexuality.
The Family Unit And Parkinson's Disease
Published by American Parkinson Disease Association, 2007
This four-page educational supplement, written by a neurologist, addresses how family relationships are stressed when one member has PD. Adjustment to spousal roles may occur. Author notes outside resources available including extended family, friends, church or synagogue, the physician, support groups, and national organizations.
Videos About Relationships
Family Matters: Parkinson’s & Family Relationships
By Parkinson Canada, November 2, 2023
In this one-hour webinar, social worker Pascal Girard discusses the effect Parkinson’s may have on your closest relationships and some approaches to consider when navigating these changes.
Love, Relationships, and Parkinson's
By Davis Phinney Foundation, February 24, 2023
In this one-hour Living with Parkinson’s Meetup, seven Davis Phinney Foundation Ambassadors talk about love, relationships, care partners, and navigating these areas with Parkinson’s.
Parkinson's Disease: Relationship Changes & Rebuilding Intimacy
By Cleveland Clinic, June 11, 2021
In this one-hour webinar, Aaron Daley, Center Coordinator for the UCSF Parkinson's Disease Center, talks about physical (facial masking, speech issues, etc.) and emotional changes (apathy, anxiety, depression) common to PD that lead to relationship and communication changes, how to compensate for these challenges, and cope with caregiver stress. Finally, types of intimacy and challenges to intimacy are identified, along with tips to improve communication and rebuild intimacy are shared, including an outline of PD-related sexual issues and how to adapt to changes in sexual function.
Unlocking Strength Within: Navigating Relationships with PD
Published by American Parkinson Disease Association, November 2, 2023
In this session from the Unlocking Strength Within series, licensed clinical social worker Sheila Moore shares her expertise on managing interpersonal relationships with PD and answers audience questions live.
Women and Parkinson’s Panel: Relationships
By Davis Phinney Foundation, April 25, 2024
In this one-hour webinar, a panel of women with PD share how PD affects their relationships, some of the most challenging symptoms they face, the power of honesty, and more.
Adult Children
Adult Children of Parkinson’s Panel Discussion
By The Michigan Parkinson Foundation, April 8, 2025
In this hour-long webinar, three adult children discuss how they each have navigated having a parent or grandparent with Parkinson’s disease and have advice for listeners in similar situations.
Adult Children Providing Care for People with PD
By Parkinson Association of Alberta, May 27, 2020
In this hour-long webinar, movement disorder specialist and adult child of a parent with PD, Janis Miyasaki, MD, provides insight and information for adult children of people with Parkinson disease.
Adult Children Reflect on Having a Father with Parkinson’s
By The Michael J. Fox Foundation, June 5, 2022
In this 30-minute podcast, three adult children discuss how they each have navigated having a father with Parkinson’s disease. A transcript of the podcast is also available.
Being There for Your Parent with Parkinson’s
By Parkinson’s Foundation, May 22, 2025
In this episode of the Substantial Matters podcast, Social Worker Kelly Arney, MSSW, has several good pieces of advice for adult children of a parent with PD, including communicating with the parent about how much help they will accept without giving up their autonomy and specific ways to become an active part of their parent's support team.
Friends
How Parkinson's Might Affect Your Friends
Published by American Parkinson Disease Association, March 3, 2013
This article discusses why young people with PD may withdraw from friendships, the importance of maintaining social connections for quality of life, and resources for staying connected including support groups and the Person-to-Person matching program. The article also addresses dating with PD.
What to Say (and What Not to Say) to Someone Who Has Parkinsons
Published by the Davis Phinney Foundation, March 13, 2018
Most people want to say the right thing and be the exact kind of support their friend with Parkinson's needs. This menu of 16 things not to say, and what to say instead will give you just the right words.
Last updated October 2025 by Stanford's Parkinson's Community Outreach.