Shaking hand to shaking mouth. What is this?

Dear Ask The Doctor: Hi. I'll try to be as brief as possible. Around the beginning of 2010, maybe late 2009, my father who is in his mid 60s started having a shaky hand. It started off fairly light and has become worse over time. Its his right hand. I wasn't present at the time but, some family members took him to the doctors to get checked out and apparently everything seemed to be fine. Just recently (about 2 weeks ago), we noticed his mouth is now starting to shake. The movement isn't as bad as his hand but, I have a feeling it will only get worse soon. Is there any reason to all this? And is there anything that will help to prevent it from getting worse? I hate to see him like this and I'm very concerned! Thanks in advance.

Dear Kay:  In the view that the doctor checked him out recently and everything seemed to be fine, maybe he is experiencing Essential Tremor which usually begins in one upper extremity and soon affects the other. Essential tremor rarely extends from the upper extremity to the ipsilateral leg. Tremor may be intermittent initially, emerging only during periods of emotional activation. Over time the tremor becomes persistent. A degree of voluntary control is typical, and the tremor may be suppressed by skilled manual tasks and during sleep. There are a number of medications that are used to treat this condition, all of them by prescription. I suggest that you get an evaluation by a neurologist to choose the most appropriate treatment option for him.