Hi

My dad is 75. He is usually very active and healthy but has suffered from hypertension for many years. Within the last 6 months, he's very different. His gait is different and speech is different. He is like an elderly man now but only 6 months ago he was perfectly fine and healthy.

He started having trouble with his legs. He told me it is hard for him to get up from a chair or from the floor. When he does get up his legs will sometimes do an involuntary march just so he can gain balance. He walks with a short gait now kind of like a penguin. He tells me he feels like he wants to walk but sometimes his legs don't want to move while he's walking. So he has to sometimes stop while he's walking. And his speech is different. It's softer and sounds tired. He's tired a lot too. He told me it's from chronic hypertension and he stopped taking his meds (BUT back on the meds).

I'm just confused did he have a small stroke(but didn't realize it) and displaying symptoms of parkinsonism or does he have early stages of parkinson's? He doesn't tremble and only his legs are affected.

There is a condition older patients get called normal pressure hydrocephalus.

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/norma...article_em.htm

Also look into myasthenia gravis...this can occur in older patients too:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001731/

A trip to a good neurologist is needed, I think here.