I have POA over my mother's health care. My sisters insist on taking her out every week. Is there anything I can do to protect her?

I purchased an easily collapsible wheelchair that we could pop into the trunk for outings that might have been too tiring for Mom to walk, like parks, restaurants etc. It made the trips much easier and the process faster and safer. You can purchase collapsible ones with large wheels (as opposed to standard transport ones) which are much better over rougher terrain like parking lots or grass.

I totally sympathise with the terrible stress and anxiety of caring about a person who is a high-risk faller. It turned my hair white.

But however much you would like to bubble-wrap your mother and forbid her to stand unaided, you have to strike the right balance between protection of her physical safety and promotion of her quality of life. As Barb says, stopping her going out while she can still enjoy the change and the attention from your sisters is going too far.

Try a different tack - see if the facility can arrange for a friendly physical therapist or occupational therapist to give your sisters a crash course in safe handling and falls prevention, or at least suggest recommended reading for them. It will not only make them better escorts for your mother, it will also impress on them just what the risks are.

Old people fall, no matter how hard we try to protect them.

It seems like overkill to keep mom facility bound if she enjoys going out.

Might a compromise be possible? Could they use a wheelchair?

Has her physical therapist or doctor ordered her not to go out?

Barb took the words out of my mouth. When I take my mother out to places with uneven sidewalks or other hazards, I bring out the portable wheelchair. I asked my mother to agree to use it for MY peace of mind - because it worried me to see her struggle and risk falling with her walker. The wheelchair works great for both of us. And you can wheel it right up to the table in most restaurants, making it unnecessary to help Mom into (and up from) a chair and find a place to stash the walker.

Isn't life interesting? WE have posters BEGGING their family to step up and help more, and here we have a poster who wants LESS help..or help on her terms. (Which I am totally understanding).

Id go the wheelchair route. I already know I am taking mother to a wedding on the 20th. I already have a wheelchair "reserved" at the place of the wedding. There's just no way she can use her walker to go the 500 feet she'd need to navigate. I'll park in Handicap parking, run in the building and get the wheelchair and pop back and get her. I cannot lift her regular wheelchair. At least the wedding dinner is back at the house she lives in--getting her up 18 stairs is going to be daunting.

I'd be happy the sisters are showing up and doing. If you can let go, you'll enjoy the respite time. Mom deserves to see all her kids....and on terms they are all comfortable with.

I understand your concern, but I would opt for the suggestion of the wheelchair. And is it possible for them to have lunch with her there on occasion? Lastly, Dad's facility (Memory Care) would honor my wishes about whether anyone could take him out, as I had POA.

Caresabouther,
I, too, would use a wheelchair. It's not fool proof but it's a lot safer than having her walk with a cane or walker.

Have you heard that an elderly person "has fallen and broken a bone?"
Well, most times it's the opposite. A bone has broken (like the hip or leg) and then they fall.

Osteoporosis is a condition of the elderly and many times the bone is so weak (porous) that it can no longer support the weight of the person. Then you have a fracture CAUSING a fall. This can happen anytime. The less weight she has to have on her support bones, the less likely she'll have a break. Tell your sisters that. Maybe they'll always use the wheelchair because the'd be scared to have her break a bone.

I haven't used a transport wheelchair, but if you can get one with removable arm rests that would allow her to get in and out of the car with a slide or transfer board.

To get in, she would tip enough to the right side of the wheelchair to allow the board to be placed under her left buttock. Then she sits on the board, scoots over into car seat.

It's a lot safer than trying to stand up, especially from a sitting position in the wheelchair with only the arm rests to use as leverage for pushing up.

Okay I get it about the flu. But I suspect mom is enjoying the outing or the sisters wouldn’t take her.
She probably complains until she is out and then enjoys it.
Try to work with your sisters. Tell them your fears. Why not ask if you can also go on the next outing to see what they see. It might change your mind. Don’t put your mom in the middle of the problem. Think what a gift to her to have her daughters all with her for lunch. But go with an open mind. She probably truly won’t be able to go in the future. Life is short. Hugs.

I left out a lot in my post about my mother leaving the Assisted Care Unit. She is on the memory care unit. Three doctors have told me she should not be leaving the premises except for doctors appointments. She has atrial fibrillation, Coronary artery disease, dementia and it is getting worse, several small fractures in her back, neurogenic bladder. She uses a walker and tires very easily. The two sisters take her out and there is a flu epidemic in our state of Indiana. The unit is in lockdown due to the flu where no visitors are allowed unless it is an emergency but they take her out in this epidemic. They do not ask her to go, they grab her coat and tell her they are going. My mother does not want to go. She wrings her hands only when they are around. She told her sister she should tell them she does not want to go. She is intimidated by them. I appreciate all of your responses.