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Parkinson's disease is a chronic, progressive condition that is associated with increasing disability in areas such as motor function, balance, mood, cognition, behavior, activities of daily living, and quality of life. With appropriate treatment, the average life expectancy of the Parkinson's disease patient is considered to be the same as for people who do not suffer from Parkinson's disease; however, complications of advanced Parkinson's disease such as pneumonia, choking, or falling, can lead to earlier mortality. If left untreated, Parkinson's disease progresses to total disability and can be the cause of early death.

The progression of Parkinson's disease is usually very slow although this can vary widely among patients. Over time, the severity and types of symptoms intensify with some symptoms being related to Parkinson's itself and some related to side effects of medications. With proper treatment, patients can live productive lives for many years.

The major challenge for patients with Parkinson's disease is adapting to their progressive disability. With the initial diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, the patient and doctor must determine the level of discomfort or inconvenience of the symptoms in daily life and, based on these findings, the initial decisions for therapy are established. On the average, if initial symptoms are mild, up to three years may pass from the time of diagnosis to the commencement of therapy with levodopa and another 3-5 years may pass before side effects from the levodopa interfere with daily living. There is no set "timetable" regarding treatment for Parkinson's disease and important issues such as when to start medications, or when to add or change medications, are in part determined by the patient's assessment of the level of interference with daily life that the symptoms present.

Most patients respond to treatment though this varies widely among patients. There are several classes of drugs used to treat symptoms and several medications within each class of drugs that can be taken either alone (monotherapy) or as combinations. Successful drug treatment is a delicate balance of correctly dosing medications to achieve relief of symptoms while keeping side-effects at a tolerable level. When medication alone does not provide sufficient relief, there are surgical options available that not only provide relief for eligible patients, but in some cases also lead to lower doses of levodopa.

As symptoms of Parkinson's disease intensify, some patients may require caregiving beyond what family members can provide and may need to investigate the option of professional caregivers or different types of assisted living arrangements.