My wife Mary has Parkinson’s. I appreciate any help you give me. She likes to spend many hours in her chair, at her desk. She draws, watches youtube, reads newspapers.
But her body slumps very heavily to the right. We tried many solutions. So far, zero success.
She’s almost fallen from her chair many times. Things we tried so far: lean her chair close to a wall (but her body still uncomfortably slants to the right); putting a belt around her and the chair, which she can unfasten herself (kind of works); placing a vertical board along her chair on the right, to block her from going to the right (doesn’t work, because her right arm gets blocked that way, and she’d can’t use her arm/elbow).
Tomorrow, the carpenter comes to the house to look for more ideas. The aides also tried ideas. As you can imagine it’s very tiring for Mary to hang onto the desk with all her might so she doesn’t fall towards the right. She uses one hand to hold the desk or armrest. She can never have two hands free.
Thanks for any, all ideas!
I hope you all had a great Easter!
Update on leaning situation:
The carpenter tried many things today: gave it his all.
But...not easy.
Conclusion:
--Other people might have an easier time solving this issue, so please don't take my experience as something you must follow.
--My wife really wants to stay seated at her desk.
--For this reason, all solutions are being geared towards that.
--In the future, she will sit in her lift recliner, away from the desk.
--But for now, since she'll stay at her desk: the carpenter tried again shaping a vertical wooden board, to be attached to the chair, with a hole below for her arm to move freely; it did keep my wife upright, but it was very uncomfortable.
--The brace idea was tried again; but uncomfortable.
Final conclusion:
--We'll continue using the current chair. We've added comfortable cushions. She feels good. She still leans, but she prefers this, to any other thing we tried.
--And as said, in the future, when she can't sit at her desk anymore, she'll move to the recliner.
So it ends well. (Thanks also to people who suggested special chairs, special cushions; we'll continue trying that out too!)
David
I'm just an ex-caregiver, but I come to this forum regularly to learn from all you wonderful people out there.
I just wanted to tell you I laughed suddenly when you said this could be a joke, about the carpenter, seamstress and PT!
Someone needs to finish this great funny potential joke here!
Happy Easter/Resurrection Day tomorrow to you, Mary and everyone else here. God be with you both! And, to all, Shalom! 💜🕊💜
Good Luck!
But the carpenter again will try a vertical board next week. Have a great Easter!
1. Put a thin vest … like a safety vest on her with opening in the back, and use a gait belt looped thru the back of the vest secured to the back of the chair so she won’t lean. Almost like locking a crossbody seatbelt behind her.
2. lateral body support for wheelchair can probably work on a
https://www.vitalitymedical.com/skil-care-706055-adjustable-lateral-body-support.html
Idea 1: won’t work, because she must be able to open it herself. She’s very independent, can walk, go to the bathroom alone. But when she sits, her body leans to the right. We tried to create a belt (to be opened by her in the front), but it was uncomfortable.
Idea 2: great website! We’ll definitely try the lateral support.
Have an awesome day!
All of you - thank you for your help. We continue to try different solutions.
Latest solution:
Negative (what didn't work):
-Belt/velcro: uncomfortable, feels like a straightjacket
-Back brace: can be painful after some hours
Positive (what might work):
-The carpenter today built a vertical board, to be placed on the right side of the chair, with a hole/empty space in the bottom, so that my wife can easily move her right elbow/arm. The top part of the board will have en elongated horizontal thing that sticks out, so that my wife can lean her head against this, and in this way, her body doesn't lean to the right, while at the same time she can freely use her right arm. He returns next week to experiment some more.
-Some of you mentioned other types of chairs, cushions; we're looking into it.
Happy Easter everyone!
Thanks! My wife is very aware she’s leaning. In her case, she must have weaker muscles on one side. She does PT. But the leaning will continue.
We have a carpenter, PT, seamstress...etc. They're all working on it, as we speak. We recently tried the belt idea (velcro, etc.); it was uncomfortable. Leaning is also uncomfortable (it's extreme, we're not talking about a few degrees leaning), and yet my wife prefers to lean than to have a belt.
I'll let you know how it goes. We're trying various solutions mentioned here. And others.
Perhaps a physical / occupational therapist that specializes in Parkinson's or neurological issues could be of assistance.
Wishing you both the best.
They call Moonpods (and Yogibos, another brand of the same thing) "anti-gravity" since the new style beads conform to your body as you kind of sink in.
I bought a Moonpod crescent pillow. It's big, and shaped like a crescent of course. I bought it to see if it'd help with pain in hips and spine in bed.
1) In bed, it make me feel like I was floating, and with far less pain.
2) I couldn't sit anymore on the couch or loveseat as it was too deep and I also needed arm support. When I lay the Moonpod crescent on the furniture with the closed end against the back of the furniture, it shortens the depth and allows my arms to be supported (by the crescent's arms).
The beads allow you to push into them shift a position, like to lower your arm or elbow (or head)--you've noted that other things you've tried prevents her from moving her arm.
Since you have a brainstorming carpenter on your team, maybe you two can peek at Moonpods (or Yogibos) online to see if one of their styles could be worked with for her chair(s). (They don't just sell crescent-shaped pods.)
By the way, Oliver Sacks was a very famous neurologist and a wonderful writer.
But you're right, maybe we should try!
Yes, we tried all that:
"sturdy chair with arms that is protective"
"propping her up with bolsters and stiff cushions on the side that she leans to"
Every solution creates other problems. Examples:
Positive = the carpenter came and is now building a vertical board (with soft cushion on the side she leans on)....Negative = my wife's right elbow/arm isn't free then. So the carpenter is making a hole in that part of the board. But if the hole is too big, it doesn't prevent my wife from leaning. She's not sitting with her back to the chair. She has to lean forwards sometimes to use the desk. And then she leans to the right.
Positive = seamstress will try to create a special belt/velcro. We tried with a belt, just to experiment...Negative = My wife feels like it's a straight-jacket, uncomfortable.
Positive = we have a recliner with a little swivel table...Negative = my wife prefers to sit at the desk.
We continue to experiment. I will update if we find solutions.
The carpenter, seamstress, still thinking.
The carpenter, seamstress and PT came.
Many ideas are being tried out; drawings. I’ll let you know. This will take some days.
THANK YOU.
A carpenter, seamstress and PT walked into a bar…
I did want to comment on walkers. A neighbor's wife suffered from Parkinsons. He told me when Parkinsons people fall they fall backward not forward. His wife had a walker designed to help with this problem. Had something to do with the way it was weighted in the front. Just giving u a heads up if you weren't aware of this.
Poor her.
Yes, I know about such tables. We have several types of tables at home (the ones you mention, and the one specifically for the lift recliner). My wife wants to stay specifically at this desk. But we'll keep the alternative tables, other options, because they can be very useful in the future.
The carpenter comes today. But we need some days to try things out. I’ll let you know how it works out. Our hope is that the velcro/belt idea works (the carpenter had suggested this right away). And I see many of you suggesting this. THANK YOU.
Does Mary know anyone who is sewing crafty? It’s the sort of thing that some sewing buddies would love to help with, including Barb's sewing suggestion.
PS you should be able to take the little table off the recliner, so that it will go up to the desk.
There seemed to be a lot of hits for restraint kinds of things, which you can use at home.
You could also try buying a couple of yards of neoprene and some heavy duty velcro. This could be fashioned into a front opening/closing vest that could go around both the chair and your wife.
Yes, this is our plan, together with other plans.
Thanks a lot!
More ideas can perhaps add even more options!
Thanks yes! This is exactly what the carpenter will try - and other solutions.
This is a chair that swivels, rolls and can be locked in place. It's heavier, so may not tip as easily.
It seems like bracing your wife to the chair (perhaps with a velcro vest arrangement?) might be worth a try.
Maybe something like this:
https://www.vitalitymedical.com/posey-torso-support.html
Your other idea:
velcro vest.
We thought of that - do you have a link please? We don’t know where to buy.
Thanks!
Another option might be to attach the heavy chair to the desk, so the attachment anchors it rather than Mary holding on. The chair would then need to swivel so she can seat herself. The recliner sounds like a good start.
My DH is an engineer who at one time in his career worked making customised devices like this for people with disabilities. Many places have similar businesses or charities, often with semi-volunteer engineers and tradesman. I am quite sure that my DH could do this, or advise, but it would be a better idea to search for an agency like this that you could access in the USA. I have a sister (also Mary) in a wheelchair, and she visits our local ‘Independent Living Centre’ when she needs equipment advice like this.
If you wish, post or message with how you get on, and I’ll ask DH for ideas. Yours, Margaret
But, my wife wants to sit at the desk. The swivel table is small. The desk is large.
I’ll write whatever solutions we come up with.
https://www.amazon.com/overbed-tilt-table/s?k=overbed+tilt+table
is placed over the chair while it is slightly tilted back I think she should be able to use her hands to manipulate things on the table top. Unless she is leaning due to muscle spasms being slightly reclined would tend to shift her centre of gravity backward rather than sideways, the lateral supports and perhaps a 5 point harness should help as well.can
We asked many PT. They don’t know. They tried. Many ideas were tried.
Neurologist also didn’t have an answer.
Yes right, we want to avoid falls.
We tried the wheelchair. You’re right, it’s lower than a normal chair. We put a cushion. Mary tilted heavily to the right. The tilting is extreme. A pillow on the right (we tried). She tilts over.
We need a strong board (not pillow). But with the vertical board/wedge, she can’t freely move her right arm.
Thanks!
My Husband had a Broda Chair and that had "wings" on the side that made it easier to put a wedge where it needed to be.
The other thing you can try is reclining the chair a bit. (If it is a wheelchair that reclines)
Also this in your house you can do what you need to do that means if you would like to use a belt or other "restraint" that will keep her upright you can do so.
I'm sorry Mary is going through such a thing and I hope your carpenter comes up with an answer. If so, please come back & share it with us here on AgingCare. Good luck!
I’ll definitely post any solution we find.
David