How can I try to keep my mom out of a wheelchair? She has advancing dementia. She has advancing arthritis in her right hip. I know walking is painful.

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How can I try to keep my mom out of a wheelchair? She has advancing dementia. She has advancing arthritis in her right hip. I know walking is painful.

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I know walking is painful. I do know that one they stop walking this is where the beginning of the end starts. Infections like UTI's, Pneumonia, contracture of extremities, pressure wounds even to the most diligent caregiver. She has dyphagia and I know that not walking will open pandora's box to aspiration pneumonia, or not wanting to eat at all. This is where their care becomes more demanding on their caregivers. My mom shuffles with her walker. Fearful.

Alzheimer's & Dementia Arthritis Care Decisions Pain

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Mom also did the home PT exercise exercises and she had fun doing them and I think they help keep up her strength.

She could actually out squat her caregivers when she squatted holding onto the kitchen counter.

They also practiced counting along.

She did the other home PT exercises that the other poster mentioned and usually had fun doing them

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Reply to brandee

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We pushed Mom with walking. This is one thing that I do not regret.

One day, mom could no longer take a step. She went to bed bound at that point.

Keep Mom shuffling along. Be generous with OTC pain meds we gave mom cranberry pills to prevent UTIs. Dmanoose also will work to prevent UTIs.

There is no doubt in my mind that seniors that are shuffling along, and moving during their day are less of a fall risk than those confined to wheelchairs and confined to beds.

Live in the moment. Enjoy each day.

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Reply to brandee

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Sometimes an elder reaches a point where a wheelchair is inevitable, as my mother did. She had dementia and neuropathy in her legs and feet which caused 50 falls before she went into the wheelchair. She lived almost 3 years afterward w/o any issues to speak of except a pressure sore that a gel pad helped with. Home Health tended to the sore. She passed of CHF ultimately.

Good luck.

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Reply to lealonnie1

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You are right in all your assessments, and it does look as though you understand the end is nearing.
To me this is the time to move forward with acceptance, to speak with palliative care MD and to see if Hospice is a way to go. You will, yes, be dealing with all you are saying. Aspiration pneumonia is especially dangerous and can kill quickly.

There is really no sense to trying now to put off an end that means peace, when daily life is a torment. I am just so sorry. You are fully informed in all of this and spot-on in your assessment of the situation. My heart goes out to you. Not everything can be fixed and there are no answers toward the end but making it as peaceful and pain free as possible.

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Reply to AlvaDeer

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I was surprised at how helpful my mom's simple PT exercises were - seated leg raises, seated marching, seated ankle raises, seated toe and heel lifts, and standing mini squats while holding a chair back, counter top or railing. But my mom lasted years beyond becoming wheelchair dependent, what was mostly effected was my ability to care for her.

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Reply to cwillie

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“The beginning of the end” comes for us all. It’s admirable of you to try and keep mom from a wheelchair, just be sure you’re not trying to control the uncontrollable. The falls are inevitable, my dad had soooo many. He had the slow, shuffling gait using a rollator. Some of the falls I was literally right next to him and could do nothing. Make sure mom has appropriate pain management, she deserves to live in comfort as much as possible. Don’t plan for problems you may not see. Not wanting to eat will come one day, it’s the body’s natural process of winding down. I wish you and mom both acceptance and peace

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Reply to Daughterof1930

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My MIL was bedridden in a good LTC facility for 7 years and never once had bedsores or any of the things you mentioned. We dealt with UTIs by having her take d-mannose supplement daily. She had moderate dementia as well and eventually did eat less and less, was dropping weight, went on to hospice (in her same room) and eventually passed very quickly, without pain or suffering (and no morphine even).

I had a very elderly Aunt with advanced dementia who could shuffle walk with a walker, support belt and aid, living in her own home with family caregivers. She fell 3x and eventually got out of bed at night, fell and broke her hip. She continued to attempt to get out of bed in the rehab facility (no surgery, they were working on getting her to pivot so she could continue care at home) but she passed in her sleep at the rehab facility.

All this to say that you really can't predict what happens to what person, everyone's journey is different. I have arthritis in my knees and base joints of my hands and starting in my feet... yes it is painful. Does she take any pain meds so that she feels good enough to continue to walk? You didn't mention this. My Aunt shuffled and fell even though she was in the presence of her very competent caregivers.

My 95-yr old Mom has osteoarthritis in her back and lots of other places. She was an RN and really never wanted to take any meds but I tell her to now take as many as helps her feel good and mobile. Who cares about what it does to her liver or kidneys at this point if she doesn't feel well enough to get out of her chair.

Just do the best you can. The goal is to keep our LOs as safe and pain-free as possible. As *possible*... and sometimes it just isn't very possible.

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Reply to Geaton777

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Just try and keep her shuffling along as long as you can. Although as you're well aware with shuffling often comes falling, and with falling can come breaks and brain bleeds, so there really aren't any fool proof methods or answers here.
Your mom is declining and progressing in her dementia, and in most cases being completely bedridden is the final step to the end, and all you can do is the best that you can.
I hope that by now you're pureeing all of your moms food and that you're thickening her drinks with Thick-It, as that will help her from aspirating both, even while she's still mobile.
My late husband developed aspiration pneumonia while he was still mobile so don't think that just because your mom is still somewhat mobile that she too couldn't develop it now, thus why it's important to pureed all of her foods and thicken her drinks now.
So just enjoy whatever time you may have left with your mom and know that you're doing the best that you can under the circumstances.

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Reply to funkygrandma59

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How can I try to keep my mom out of a wheelchair? She has advancing dementia. She has advancing arthritis in her right hip. I know walking is painful.

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