[The situation of people suffering from Parkinson's disease and their relatives in the mirror of literature - an overview].

Despite of new therapy methods there currently is no perspective for healing or stopping the course of Parkinson's disease. Because of this and the predicted increase of the number of people suffering from parkinsonian syndromes, not only medical care but also nursing care of these syndromes will be of high importance in the future. The main objective of the conducted review was to study professional literature describing the situation of affected people and their relatives allowing to derive the appropriate requirements for a suitable care environment. This systematic review was conducted in the databases PubMed, CINAHL, Embase and Cochrane Library of Systematic Reviews. The results were considered with the focus of two main issues of a social situation (Dreitzel, 1972), the themes and the partners of interaction. The themes were assigned according to the coping needs of Corbin and Strauss (2004). Those needs can be observed during the progression of a chronic disease. Given the basic coping needs of affected people in different life situations, the results of 41 surveys and articles demonstrate the need for a continuous support of people suffering from parkinsonian syndromes and their relatives. Described are central issues such as financial coverage, maintenance of the individual role, getting support in dealing with the diagnosis and experiencing acceptance of one's perception of physical symptoms by health professionals. The professional life, family life, personal relationships, physician-patient and nurse-patient relationships, parent-child relationships as well as being part of society are described to be particularly challenging. The importance of support by a specialised nurse within the meaning of a Parkinson's Disease Nurse Specialist is being discussed.