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M
mormongirl Asked August 2014

My patient has recently had a stroke and her right leg is weak. Are there any exercises I can do to help get her strength back?

She is 94 and has just got off hospice and we don't have stretching band or anything.

freqflyer Aug 2014
Julielynn42, I agree with the other answers, you will need to get a physical therapist to do the exercises. One has to know the physical skeleton and how each muscle/tendon works to know exactly what type of exercise would be needed and how to guide someone who is in their 90's for their own benefit.

GardenArtist Aug 2014
Your profile states you're caring for a friend. Your post infers you're a medical professional. Either way, you haven't stated you're a therapist.

Your friend would be better off in a rehab facility, but now that she's home I don't know whether she could go directly to a facility and still be covered by Medicare, as typically patients go directly to rehab from the hospital.

But now that she's home, she needs professionally trained therapists to assess her strengths and weaknesses and determine which exercises are best. There is NO WAY a lay person can do this safely.

You're kind to want to help her but creating your own exercise program for her could do more harm than good.

She needs home nursing care, physical and occupational therapists, and perhaps a home aide.

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vstefans Aug 2014
Julielynn, best bet would be to have a PT visit to design the best program for this, and help decide if more formal therapy sessions are needed. Any trouble using the right arm? Speech and language concerns? OT and speech therapy might also be indicated.

MaggieMarshall Aug 2014
Your patient? Then contact her doctor and ask if he's comfortable prescribing home health care for her. Once that's been initiated, she'll get physical therapy, occupational therapy and, at least, a weekly visit from a nurse for as long as the nurse believes she needs it.

Marching motions, just sitting on a chair, are helpful. Put your hand up 3" above her knees and ask her to touch your hand with your knees. That's something the PT did with mom when she was just rebuilding her strength from hip surgery.

If you get home health care and a PT in there, she'll have any number of exercises to prescribe.

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