INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Prune your weigela plant after the threat of frost is over, sometime in the late fall or early spring. You can prune the weigela before it blooms to promote more flowers this year or after it blooms to promote stronger growth during the next blooming season. Weigela should not be pruned after mid-July. Over-pruning a weigela plant can weaken or even kill it. Never prune more than 1/3rd of the entire plant in a single season. If you need to remove a lot of growth, do it gradually over the course of several seasons. Weigela is prone to growing wispy and weak looking branches with a lot of offshoots. This can detract from the natural beauty of the weigela blooms. To prevent these types of branches from taking over your plant, you should prune it once a year. Sharp shears will prevent damage to the weigela plant. Wipe down the shears with rubbing alcohol after each cut to prevent the transmission of disease to other plants. If your shears are breaking or snapping the branches rather than cutting straight through, purchase new ones. An upward facing bud will continue to grow out and upward, while a downward facing bud will grow downward. Cutting the branch immediately above a bud will allow you to control the direction that it grows in. If you are pruning to maintain the look of your weigela plant, keep this in mind.

SUMMARY: Prune weigela in the late fall or early spring. Never prune more than 1/3rd of the plant at a time. Prune weigela once a year. Use sharp, sterilized pruning shears. Prune branches above a bud to control the direction of growth.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Parkinson's causes a lack of dopamine, so most medications are aimed at fixing that problem. Levodopa, which has been around since the 1960s, is used by your brain to make dopamine. Typically, levodopa is combined with carbidopa. Carbidopa is important because it lessens the side effects of levodopa, such as nausea. It also helps deliver more of the levodopa to the brain instead of it being converted in the bloodstream. That means you can take a lower dosage. You'll usually start with a pill, but this medication can also be given as an infusion through a feeding tube if the disease is more advanced. A typical beginning dose is 250 milligrams 2 to 4 times a day. These medications act similarly to dopamine. Because they aren't actually dopamine, they don't work quite as well as levodopa. However, they stay in your system for longer periods. Plus, the levodopa-carbidopa has a tendency to suddenly stop and start working at will, so these medications can help provide relief when the other drug stops working. Typical medications in this category include pramipexole, ropinirole, rotigotine, and apomorphine. Rotigotine is often in patch form, while apomorphine is given through injection. The side effects of this medication can change your behavior. You may find yourself behaving compulsively when it comes to things like having sex, drinking, and gambling. You may also be sleepy or have hallucinations. This medication was originally a flu treatment in the 1960s, but researchers found that it also helps with Parkinson's tremors. Often, you'll take this medication in conjunction with levodopa, as amantadine isn't as effective as levodopa but it can provide additional help. Other drugs help you keep dopamine in your system. MAO-B inhibitors, such as selegiline or rasagiline, work by slowing down the brain enzyme monoamine oxidase B. Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) inhibitors, such as entacapone, work similarly, but they block a different enzyme that breaks down dopamine. MAO-B inhibitors increase your chances of having hallucinations when taken with levodopa. These medications have been used to treat Parkinson's since the early 1900s. They primarily help with tremor and no other symptoms of Parkinson's. Common side effects include hallucinations, blurry vision, dry mouth, and trouble with short-term memory loss. This surgery is generally a last resort for tremors of any kind, whether from Parkinson's or another disease. Basically, a pacemaker type device is implanted in your chest. It's connected to a small probe in the part of the brain called the thalamus. It uses electrical pulses to help control your tremors. The electrical pulses are not painful. It's a last result because doctors do not want to mess with your brain surgically if they don't have to. It can cause issues with your speech of motor control, as well as muscle weakness and headaches. However, side effects will generally disappear after a period of time.

SUMMARY: Take levodopa. Try dopamine agonists. Use amantadine. Try medications that reduce the breakdown of dopamine. Take about anticholinergic medications. Discuss deep brain stimulation.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Technology can be very distracting, both for you and grandma. Turning off your alerts and putting away your electronic devices will show her that she has your full attention. Have grandma do the same by saying something like: "Hey grandma, I don't want any interruptions today while we're hanging out, so I thought we could turn off our devices and do something else." "Grandma, you've been using your iPad for quite a while. Is there a game or an activity we can both do together?" You never know when you and grandma might have something in common. You might both have a deep love of music, art, sports, reading, and so on. They only way to find out is to ask. Tell grandma about your interest, and ask about hers as well saying things like: "My English class has been reading the book Of Mice and Men. Do you like that writer, John Steinbeck?" "I joined the dance team last week, and I'm having so much fun. Do you have a favorite dance? Could you teach me how to do it?" "Grandma, today I want to do something we can both enjoy. Maybe we could play a board game in the park or go bird watching. What do you think?" If you think some of grandma's hobbies and skills, like sewing, crocheting, baking, and so on, are too old fashioned for you, you could be missing out on fun without knowing it. Give these activities a shot. At the very least, your grandma will likely appreciate you taking an interest in the things she does. Many of your hobbies will be too difficult or strenuous for your grandma. By picking up one of her hobbies, you'll both be able to have fun doing something together. Puzzles and tabletop games, like cards or board games, will be less physically difficult for your grandma and can be a lot of fun. Some common skills your grandma might be able to teach you includes things like making jam, writing shorthand, mending, and more. Your grandma probably has a daily routine that doesn't change very much. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but doing something different could be exciting and fun for both of you. Ask your grandma if she'd be interested in: Going on a photo safari. Use your camera or phone to hunt for interesting pictures, like a red bird, a three-legged dog, or a bird wearing a bread crust necklace. You could even turn your safari into a competition. Visiting a local museum or art exhibit. Many museums have kids sections, so if you're younger, there will be something fun to do for you and grandma both. Heading to the library or community center for local events, like movies, game nights, book clubs, and more.

SUMMARY:
Put your technology away and set it to silent. Discover and share mutual interests. Try your hand at grandma's hobbies or learn a new skill. Suggest a change of pace.