She has a difficult time getting out of her chair, even hard chairs. I can't determine if it is her arms or her legs that are the more weak. She is still living in her home with a caregiver 4 mornings a week. She watches tv almost all day every day. I have tried to encourage some exercise at home but she says she forgets. Her balance is not good either. Any suggestions? Thank you.
So if your mom isn't moving around now there's a REASON. And I would encourage you to both go to her doctor, start with bloodwork, look at weight, consider bone density scan, Then request an evaluation by a physical therapist.
Sit and speak with Mom. Ask her the why of the seemingly "choice" decision to not move around more? Is there pain? Where? Weakness? How's the diet? etc. This is an exploration you two will take together. There are good balance exercises to help her as well and when faithfully done they will help, though balance is always an issue; we are feathers in the wind no matter what we weigh, and it's difficult to recover from tripping on something; we WILL go down.
Good luck. Do tell her that you fear for her mobility, and that once she IS immobile she may end in care, something neither of you want for her. So far I clean my own home, do my laundry, do my garden. And that is in the interests of keeping me busy, active and keeping the bones moving so they can be nourished, keeping the muscles as good as they can be for age, and keeping the tendons stretched, as well as maintaining general strength, attitude and etc.
And you know what, for me, TV during the day is a no-no.
Unfortunately, falls are inevitable with the elderly. They are also the cause of rapid decline, or the rapid decline is the cause of the falls.
My yoga teacher, at age 82, was very fit and could still do The Crow. That's the pose where you balance on your hands, lift your bent legs and tuck them inside your elbows. She emphasized in all her classes that upper body strength is vital to survival. If we could drag ourselves to the phone or the door after we fall, we could get help instead of dying on the floor.
Why don't you look into a physical therapist for mom? I'm concerned about her only having a caregiver 4 mornings week. That isn't nearly enough for the state she's in now, and she might not be able to get help on her own if she's so weak.
you have to tell the caregivers it is part of the job.
https://www.hingehealth.com/resources/articles/sit-to-stand/
You say she has dementia...well that is the reason she "forgets".
And recovering from a broken hip along with dementia there could be a fear that she will fall again, the fear of the pain she might have,.
After my Husband broke his hip I did have caregivers that would take him for a walk around the neighborhood. On weekends I would take him to Sam's or Costco and he would walk the store. (the fact he got to sample some foods kept him going around the store. 🤣)
But on the other hand your mom has dementia, she is going to decline, she will forget how to do many things like walking, standing, feeding herself this is part of the disease.
If mom is compliant with PT maybe the doctor could order in home PT that would get her moving a few days a week and if it helps the order can be repeated.
Have you spoken to mom's doctor about getting her Physical Therapy?
Can you enlist the caregiver in getting her to practise the balance exercises that the PT will give her?
Thank you for your thoughts BarbBrooklyn.
Very good. I hope the review is helpful.
Getting *slowed up* was a term I read on a chart I found online: Canadian Clinical Frailty Scale. I have LOs at various points along it. Their reasons differ for their slowing up.
Yes muscles can weaken with reduced use. But our heart & lungs power us with blood & oxygen. Our brain drives us - mood & motivation are key. Becoming *slowed up* can be multi-factored.
Sometimes we do do have to alter our expectactions.. to except some conditions cannot be cured, but looking for clues can't hurt.
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