My mom is 96, uses a walker, often needs assistance to stand, and is almost always in her armchair. Her activity is limited to walking the hall to the dining room and back in the morning and again at "supertime,"and for infrequent bathroom visits. She also walks a bit during sundowning, but that is less than it had been. I know she's getting weaker.
Should I be enforcing some level of physical activity beyond this? I feel guilty that I don't do exercises with her, but I just lack the motivation and confidence, somehow. I guess being the half-week caregiver saps my strength, mentally and physically. I don't think she qualifies yet for "PT" either. Ideas?
https://eldergym.com/leg-exercises/
are exactly what my mom's PT had her doing, I was surprised how beneficial just 10 to 15 minutes several times a week were.
She's also not going to get PT nor would she benefit from it. If you want to try to get her to swing her arms around a bit while sitting in a chair, OK, but it really won't do anything. She's moving about as much as I'd expect from someone in her condition.
My mom is 85 & aunt is 93. They have the same level of activity, watch TV in between naps and thats about it.
Mom had several cycles of PT and she makes a feeble attempt to do some arm stretches with the large rubber band. She is wheelchair bound and walks very little. She can transfer herself but that is it.
Aunt shuffles to bathroom with her walker and to eat but thats all. She is getting slower & weaker.
I would not insist on anymore activity.
My 99-yr old aunt with mod/adv dementia needs to be helped up out of the chair and held by a belt to move with a walker from place to place. She is taken out to the mailbox every day, and also uses an arm/foot pedal machine 2x a day for 15-ish minutes.
I do agree with Cwillie that once your LO is no longer able to move with a walk, caregiving will become far more challenging. A secondary benefit to exercising is that she will sleep better. We have my aunt fold a large pile of kitchen towels several times a day, sort colored poker chips, fold napkins for dinner, etc. This also burns mental energy and she requires no sleep aids now where she prior was being given Tylenol PM (and causing her great constipation).
My MIL is now in LTC because she just refused to get out of bed even though there was technically nothing preventing her, but she couldn't be forced. We tried all sorts of PT and incentives, to no avail. Just be tempered in how much your push exercise to your LO and have reasonable expectations.
Yesterday evening I followed a client back from her bedroom to her living room laughing internally: all the way to her armchair she recited "push forward, step in, push forward, step in, push forward, step in..." using her frame, then she turned through ninety degrees, step by step like a musical box doll, shuffled back, looked down to see her legs were touching her chair, placed right hand left hand onto the arms of the chair, and seated herself under control.
Yup. You can always tell when there's been a therapy visit that afternoon :)
We're supporting this lady because falls led her to lose confidence in mobility. I don't think she'll need us much longer!
PTs can teach your mother safe standing, walking and sitting techniques, they can help her improve her balance, they can encourage her to engage in seated exercise to improve her respiration and circulation, they can help her protect her own skin integrity by good positioning habits. And sessions make a little ritual of self-care, too, which will encourage your mother to feel she's an active contributor to her own wellbeing and health.
Do not feel guilty for not being a cheerleader and therapist combined. What's wrong with asking the professionals?
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