Ann Stradley – Parkinson’s Update – July 31st, 2026.

 

This is a longer than usual update as it also talks about the major building upgrade to our house.  It is in two parts – building upgrade first and then Ann’s Parkinson’s status second.

 

Building Upgrade – Phase One – the Bathroom

 

In our last update we mentioned we were in the process of obtaining quotes for a bathroom upgrade to meet our future needs.

 

Well, that project is now complete – without too many dramas.

 

Our house was built with two complete bathrooms – one an en-suite with an attached dressing area next to our bedroom, and the other just down the hallway and backing on to the en-suite.

 

There were also three doors clumped together at the end of the passageway that ran down the middle at that end of the house.  This arrangement made walker usage at that end of the house very difficult

 

While the en-suite itself was adequate, it was small and not conducive to using a mobility aid such as a walker.  The adjacent dressing area and dressing table had become a de-facto storage area and was never used as intended. 

 

 

The three doors                          Dressing area and wardrobe

 

 

In addition, the wardrobe in the dressing area was poorly designed with a set of storage shelves that were partially inaccessible and difficult to use.

 

In mid-2025 we decided to upgrade our en-suite bathroom to make it more accessible. 

 

One approach, and one we had done before in another house, was to combine both bathrooms into one area.  While that would have made an area capable of handling mobility aids, it would not have addressed the congestion created by the three adjacent doorways at our bedroom, the craft room and Ann’s Office.

 

To fully open the area, we decided to remove all three doorways, incorporate the dressing area and wardrobe into an expanded bathroom and convert the craft room into a dressing area with a relocated wardrobe.

 

Old En-Suite                                                         Proposed New Bathroom

 

 

So began the long and arduous process of making it happen.

 

We approached 10 builders, 6 declined to quote, 4 visited the house to scope the work, of those 2 did not bother to provide a quote – leaving us with just two quotes.

 

We accepted one, and building work started on May 7th, 2026.

 

We relocated to a tourist cabin located in our mixed-use Land Lease community for the 7 weeks it took to get the project to a stage where we could move back into the house. 

 

During those 7 weeks we slept at the tourist cabin and had our meals and showers in the house. 

 

We moved back into our house on May 28th, and the project was finally completed on June 24th, 2026.

A 12-week process overall – just a slight blow out from the projected timing of 4 to 6 weeks.

 

Here is a comparison of the not yet fitted out new bathroom and the same space as it used to be.

 

New Area                            Same view – old area

 

 

The new bathroom is BIG, but it has been designed to be accessible through utilizing the space we had without too much building modification – just some wall and door removal to create an open space

 

And here is the finished product. 

 

The Vanity Basin                         Shower, Toilet and Bedroom

The new Dressing Room            The continuous grab rail

 

 

While the concept of a bathroom and toilet combination with no door will seem strange and unacceptable to some, this project has been designed and built to suit our needs while still meeting the relevant building codes in Australia.

 

And there is a door that isolates the bedroom, dressing room, bathroom and Anns’ office from the rest of the house. 

As we are self-funded retirees, the full cost of the project has come from our own financial resources.  It has been a major financial outlay and was only taken after considering all the viable options – including moving house. 

 

The project has come in on budget with a total cost, including alternative accommodation, of just under $85,000.

 

However, now we are living with the finished product we are satisfied we made the correct decision to convert a major area of our house into a functional, accessible area for our future needs.

 

And as the area is closed off via a Pocket Door, it is now officially designated the North Wing of the house.!

 

Building Upgrade – Phase Two – Disability Access to the house

 

The next step is accessible access to the house – translation – a disability ramp or an elevator.

 

We are currently researching this and trying to get quotations for the work. A lot more difficult that it would seem.  It is a repetition of the Bathroom Project – no one wants to work in Casino, or they are too busy or it is too hard.

 

If we can’t get anywhere, we will just use the bathroom builder as he has done ramps, but it is not his specialty.  We have just used him for three days on a daily rate to remove and repair dry rot on our back deck.  And we would have no problem getting him to do our ramp – even if he is likely to be more expensive.

 

So, an on-going process.

 

On the Parkinsons front – there have been some changes worth mentioning.

 

Mobility

 

At the beginning of the year Ann had some major urinary issues as Bladder Botox number 13 failed after four months leading to the dreaded urinary incontinence a common hidden symptom of Parkinson’s.

 

This destroyed Ann’s exercise regime to the extent there has been no GYM activity at all this year and for a few months no chair-based exercise group session in the Village Hall.

 

We finally got on top of these issues and had Bladder Botox number 14 in July.  The urologist is right on top of the failed No. 13 Botox and has put in place steps to monitor No. 14 over the coming months.  Botox No 15 is scheduled for February next year.

 

In addition, Ann has now had three Saliva Botox injections with her Neurologist, and these have worked well.  An unexpected bonus of the three-monthly Saliva Botox injections is we also get a full consultation with the Neurologist. 

 

This is a much-preferred approach to the normal 6- or 12-month Neurologist consultation that is common with Parkinsons.

 

The net result of the exercise disruption has been a significant reduction in mobility.  Ann now makes much more use of her walkers in the house.

 

As a result, we have started to look at a powerchair for Ann to use both in the house and outdoors.  Outdoors on pavement only – not off-roading bush bashing.

 

Powerchairs are also called electric wheelchairs or motorised wheelchairs – not to be confused with your standard powered lift chair you may have in your living room.

 

The first shock to the system is the prices of these units. 

 

Down at the bottom end of the market are the hybrid walkers, like the one we already have, starting at around $1,500 and going up to $7,000.  And they are still just walkers in nature – useful and all that – but lacking many of the features of a wheelchair.  We certainly find our hybrid electric walker very useful in its intended role – portable walker with dual electric controls that can be used as a wheelchair if the distance to push is too far for Ann to manage.

 

Then you go all the way up to $80,000 + for speciality units aimed at users with multiple physical issues.

 

The second shock is the weight of a powered wheelchair.  These things are in no way portable.  Average weight is more than 100 Kg with the norm appearing to be 130 kg and up.  So, once the wheelchair is inside a house – how do you get it out if you are not at ground level – like us.  Ramp or lift appears to be the answer.

 

Then how do you take one of these things anywhere.  Golf buggy trailer, speciality wheelchair / mobility scooter trailer, rear of car lift attachment, car modification for either a crane of a powered ramp arrangement, buy a used Japanese Welcab, buy a ute and crane it into the back or just buy a cargo van and convert it with ramp etc.

 

Most of those options involve some serious expenditure.

 

Or just say “Bugger it – all too hard, we are never leaving the house!”

 

Aaahh – not really an option.

 

Lastly the third shock is a combination one.  How you get a price of a powered wheelchair and how you see and try one of these units if you do not live in a capital city.  The importer and retailer web sites do not normally show the prices and regional disability equipment suppliers do not carry much in the way of floor stock of powered wheelchairs – probably because of their value.

 

So, with our heads firmly around those small practical issues, we started to on-line search in earnest.

 

We very quickly determined that a mid-wheel drive is the best option for use indoors because of the smaller turning circle.  Then it came down to features.

 

There are two key ones that narrow the available field considerably as well as pushing the cost up.!  These are powered elevation and powered recline.  The standard elevation is 30 cm and the recline can cover full recline i.e. lying flat to somewhere less than that.

 

Now you are getting into new small car pricing.  A popular model with both those features but little else in the way of bells and whistles – useful or otherwise – came in at $30k.  You can buy TWO new Kia Picanto manual cars for less than that.

 

Then there is the used market. 

 

There are dealers both here and overseas that specialise in re-furbishing pre-owned powerchairs.  And that is an area we are currently exploring.

 

Ann had an in-house test drive of a 3-year-old demonstrator unit on Friday, and the salesman was lucky to get out of the house with it still in his possession!

Ann had no trouble navigating around the house – probably because of her experience with the joystick control method of driving using her current powered walker / wheelchair combination unit.

 

We are now awaiting a price of this unit and checking the second-hand market for indicative prices both here and overseas.   And of course, checking any product reviews we can find.

 

Medications

 

No real change here. The Neurologist prescribed an Agonist at our last visit in June. Just the standard Amantadine to take twice a day.  Nothing out of the ordinary - it only mimics Dopamine in the brain and does not lead to Dyskinesia like an increase in Levodopa would.

 

All Ann’s Duodopa pump settings are unchanged, but the Neurologist is considering a slight change to be discussed at our next Saliva Botox at the end of September.

 

Ann’s Levodopa intake is now 1400 to 1500 mg a day with 200 mg of Amantadine a day.  While the dosage is getting up there, it is still not at a level that is considered very high in the Dopamine pump world.

 

Our Life in General

 

While managing Ann’s PD does place some restrictions on our life, we are still active in the Village through participation in the Exercise Group that Ann started 4 years ago and general socialising with other village residents.

 

Ann still lunches with friends at various venues outside the Village.  I drive her there, set her up with her electric walker and collect her afterwards.  This is a very important outlet for her – and her friends.

 

In addition to these social aspects of our life, we have been very proactive in staying ahead of the Parkinson’s symptoms.  This has helped smooth the way when symptoms get worse necessitating changes in how we operate. e.g. buying an electric walker / wheelchair unit before it was needed. 

 

Using this approach is why we are now looking at a powerchair for use in the house before it is really needed.

 

In the meantime, I am kept busy with general housekeeping duties and grocery shopping etc.

 

In my spare time, I am the admin of two Parkinson’s related Facebook Groups, one with 1100 members who are all carers of people with Parkinson’s and a smaller group of just 500 members.  Both groups are active daily and are closely monitored by me and a moderator in each group. 

 

Our next Neurologist Consultation is at the end of September 2026, and our next update message will be in December 2026.

 

Rex Adamson and Ann Stradley

Casino Lifestyle Village

158/69 Light Street

Casino,

New South Wales,

Australia, 2470.

 

Rex email           adamson@adamsonstradley.com

Ann email           stradley@adamsonstradley.com

Web Site            https://adamsonstradley.com/

Web Site            https://parkinsonsupdate.adamsonstradley.com/

Phone                02 5809 8211

Mobile Rex         0491 082 135

Mobile Ann         0493 479 232