Retention of food and pills in the vallecula are another contributory cause of erratic levodopa absorption, and therefore, a secondary cause of dysphagia. Soft diets help most types of dysphagia by making it easier to move food in the mouth and esophagus. Soft food also decreases aspiration by reducing the need for separate liquid intake, since liquids often cause more aspiration than solids. Coal tar shampoos can be used not only for dandruff but also for seborrhea over the eyebrows and forehead. They should not be used more than once or twice weekly Selenium-based shampoos also work in some patients when used in a similar manner.
Topical hydrocortisone is most effective on the face but needs to be applied daily.
The causes of falls in the elderly are usually multifactorial and can be divided into intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Extrinsic factors are environmental elements that may cause an individual to fall. Postural instability often responds poorly to drug therapy especially with advanced disease. In patients with severe postural instability, wheelchairs can be used to prevent morbidity from falls. Motor fluctuations, including dyskinesias and episodic freezing, may be additive to postural instability and contribute to the tendency to fall.