My Mom has been complaining that her butt hurts after sitting so long. Any advice?

Jeanne, I had forgotten that retail stores get the seasons all mixed up! I suspect boots and snow shovels will soon be in the ads for the local stores - just can't wait to push those seasons, can they?

Jo-Anns has such an extensive selection of fabric - it's therapeutic just to wander the aisles and finger the fabrics, especially the soft plushy ones.

I guess your dilemma now will be which ones to buy to make a cushion to match the lap blanket you'll be making. Sometimes the assortment is so varied it's really hard to choose.

i think a recliner helps because when reclined , most of the body weight is shifted to the spine and back , giving the assbone a break .. as body mass is lost in declining elders , most are in danger of developing pressure ulcers from chair or too much time in bed . it isnt always the result of neglect . its just likely to happen in an elders last months or weeks ..

Did she fall without saying anything to you?

GardenArtist, I have to laugh at your advice for "in the wintertime" get some fleece fabric. I bought some at Jo-Ann's last week, to make a lap blanket for my Mom. I was blown away! There were 3 full aisles of fleece fabric!! Holy cow, what will it look like as winter approaches? I got a patterned piece with Mom's favorite sports team logo and backed it with a coordinating solid. Fleece was available in several thicknesses, smooth or textured, solids and dozens -- probably hundreds -- of patterns. No need to wait for winter. Whodathunk?

i have used those donut cushions and i can tell you they work fine, but they have a foam cushion available where you can find "as seen on television" products.

During the life history of a bedsore a stage of numbness sets in so as pam says when it really hurts rather than feels uncomfortable as now it will be very very bad. plus you don't know how well she is bathing. tell her you need to shck her for unusual moles on her back or some excuse. Respect her dignaty and don't just strip her off uncover a little bit at a time. Even if she is not very modest us old people don't like others seeing our wrinkled skin hanging in folds. I certainly could put a few tucks in mine. Like one of the onelookers said when the bishop's wife ran through the ball room naked."Don't know what she was wearing but it sure needed ironing!!!!!

Once the bedsores are "really bad" you have a life-threatening situation on your hands. Check her butt. Now. Tell her either you check it or she goes to the ER. Be Nurse Ratchet.

Thanks everyone. She is not bedridden, and she is mobile, (although with a 4 legged cane). It's just that since she can't see well, or hear well, there isn't much she can do....and since she is on oxygen 24/7, and we have a lot of steps going in and out of the house, she doesn't like to go out much...(although we DO manage to get her out for things we think she might enjoy). This leaves watching TV, although I don't think she really follows it much now that her brain is deteriorating from the Dementia. She DOES keep changing position because she is uncomfortable, but still complains. We got her the heavy gel chair pad, which she uses occasionally, but isn't really impressed with. We also tried a bed pillow since they are super soft. I offered her a donut pillow but she said 'no thanks'...she doesn't feel it will help. I will go to CVS and check out the one mentioned....will also try the foam cushion with fleece. She still bathes herself, so she would never let me check for sores unless it were really bad. It doesn't sound like it's that kind of problem. She said she feels like maybe her tailbone is sore? I'm trying to get her in to see the doctor.

You can get donut shaped foam cushions but they are out of favor these days. moving position helps a lot . keep clean and dry. Hospital bed or recliner allow change of position. Encourage getting up and walking or just moving the legs to keep circulation going. If all else fails put her favorite snacks in different areas so she has to get up and move everytime she wants one. You may learn some new swear words from her native land but her butt wont hurt

Why not get her up ?
Is she mobile?

cvs has a pretty good foam chair cushion . if roids are an issue you can tear a fistful of foam out of the center of the pad for relief in this area . the ones ive used were cloth covered , black in color and 23 bucks .

You can check her butt area the next time you clean her. You can tell if she's beginning to get a sore by her skin. If a patch of her skin looks lighter than the rest of her skin, that's the sign. To me, when I see it on my dad, it looks as if that skin was constantly rubbing off from something. When I was wipe him down, and he flinches, I take note of the area. Usually it looks Normal like the surrounding skin. But a week later, the outer skin has become lighter. He still refuses to change sitting position, and now that skin has a pimple which gets bigger. Then one day, it's an open sore. With dad, blood comes out. The best thing to do is Prevention. How? Change them often (or wash them), put lotion or A&D cream on it and change sitting positions. FYI, when I was googling exercises on a plane, I remembered also seeing exercising for wheelchair patients. If your mom doesn't care to stand/walk, maybe this is an option?

If she doesn't have a bedsore or other skin issues, try a foam cushion, folded blankets, something soft for her to sit on.

Also try to encourage her to stand periodically if she can, or roll from side to side to alleviate constant pressure in one area.

If she were to get a hospital bed, she could get an alternating pressure mattress which once plugged in rotates pressure on sections of a mattress to help prevent soreness and bed sores.

There are also big heavy gel pads that are used in wheelchairs, but we haven't found them to be that comfortable.

In the wintertime, get some thick pile fabric (like "polar fleece") from Jo-Ann Fabrics & Crafts or other store. You can either just fold it over or wrap it over a foam cushion. The thick pile fabric is soft and can act as an intermediary fabric between your mother's body and a thick foam cushion.

And check her skin periodically. My father is very very thin and gets sore, so he's never comfortable in any chair that isn't thickly padded.

You can get special cushions for this like a pile cushion ive seen them in the elderly shops its stops her putting pressure on her tail bone!

As we get older arthritics tends sets in, and the thinner the person probably more difficulty in sitting for any length of time. I know my Mom, who is very thin, sits in a variety of different chairs of different softness, and is able to get up at least once every half hour to walk around.

She may be developing a bedsore. See the MD without delay.