ARTICLES / General /Clinical
Trial Rundown /
Other ArticlesBy Jennifer Bradley, Staff Writer
Supporting Your Loved One
Those who participate in clinical trials must be
sure to take the study medication as prescribed. If
the instructions are not followed correctly, doses
are missed, or study medications run out, then the
research results could be negatively affected. It
could even affect the health of your loved one.
It also undermines the very reasons your loved one
volunteered for the trial.
Seek advice on how to organize your loved
one’s medications.
Create a system to ensure study medication
has been taken.
If using a weekly pill organizer, include
the study medication for each day.
Make sure refills are received at each
appointment.
Don’t let your loved one skip an appointment
because they could run out of study medication.
Clinical trials are an essential part of medical
advancements and these advancements only come when
people step up to participate. Being a part of a
clinical trial can take extra time and effort for
both caregiver and loved one. The key is to finding
a trial that is attainable and encourages that sense
of purpose a person, especially someone with a
debilitating disease, hopes to have. Parkinson’s
slowly may be taking away independence, but knowing
that they can still make a difference for themselves
and others may be just the positive reinforcement a
loved one needs.
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