My mom is refusing physical therapy in her rehab center due to pain. What can we do?

My Mom had a hairline facture of the pelvis. It was very painful and she had a hard time recovering from it. She had in-home PT...ask if this is possible with your Mom. Perhaps the PT at the rehab is pushing her too hard or is not as experienced. Go with her during one of her sessions. Also, it is your mother's right to see her x-rays and/or speak to her doc.
They can remove her from rehab is she refuses to do the work, however, if she is in that much pain, perhaps she needs to be back in the hospital for evaluation. She should have a "care team" at the rehab. Speak with the leader of this group and ask about your options. The "squeakier" you are, the better care your mother will get. Do not let them move her until you are clear about her condition and their plan seems reasonable to you. Talking to the doctor directly is best...so they can't hide behind their nurse or front office staff. And don't be afraid to ask the important questions.
Factures, at this age, are really painful and take a long time to heal. I hope your Mom gets the most appropriate care.

My mother was also in a lot of pain during rehab and was refusing to go. The nursing staff and I had a conference and decided to give her an extra dose of pain meds shortly before her rehab session to help her relax and to enable her to be more comfortable. Once she was in less pain she was more willing to work at her recovery and be less anxious about rehab.

My mom is just like her mom. Following the broken hip, she gave up and so has my mother. Thus, mom has made herself stuck in the nursing home because she is totally immobile. Plus, my mom likes for someone to beg her to be helped.

I had the same experience with my aunt - She broke her hip, was operated . She geve up on the rehab . She was unable to walk and in a wheel chair until she passed away . It was really sad.

My mom is 87 and did great at physical therapy in the rehab. When she is home she does nothing. I am tired of fighting with her. I have given in.

My mom broke her back from falling. She also resisted rehab and almost went into a nursing home. They did an evaluation and found that she was depressed.
Gave her something for depression...she started doing rehab and got to come home soon.

I can empathise with you. Also, I can undestand her pain doing the PT. I had a total knee replacement and the PT was painful. I have been doing SWIM therapy 3 times a week and it is absolutely wonderful. Not only does it not hurt, the water is theraputic both mentally and physically. There are also many nice people who are in pain that I swim with. They have helped with ideas on how to allieviate pain, sharing their own stories and have brightened my day. Some are much worse off than me which makes me humble. I plan my days around swimming and I look forward to sociaizing with the others. Try to find a place that has a heated pool and doesn't cost much. The pool I go to is a state run faciliy for the handicapped. One needs a dr. note and the cost is only a dollar. There should be more facilities like this available....not just the local YMCA (which also has senior prices). I learned what exercises to do for my knees from the physical therapists at the dr. office. If she is able to find a pool...it isn't necessary for her to be able to swim...they have swim aids and may have a ramp with railings or a chair to assist getting in and out of the pool. Hope this helps!

I, too, had problems with my mom while she was in rehab for a knee replacement. She was supposed to get PT 3 times/day on weekdays and once a day on weekends. Mom refused PT b/c she said it hurt (plus I think she was a bit lazy and didn't want to make the effort). I told the nurses that mom was there for PT and to take her for PT whether mom wanted to go or not. Well---they didn't make her go to PT and she went home with a contracture in her knee, which meant another surgery to fix the contracture and then more PT!!! She would have been better off if she'd done the PT the first time. I also wish the nursing team would have consulted w/ me about options to make the PT more painless.

I wonder how much of the success in rehab for these seniors, comes from their personalities in the first place. My mother-in-law broke her hip, went to rehab and did great. She was 85 at the time. She said it hurt, but she was absolutely DETERMINED to walk again. So does the personality of being a stubborn, determined, resolute person make the difference?

Often times Physical Therapy has devices such as ultrasound, E stem (tens) EMS, Heat pads. The more progressive companies have infrared light. If you want my thoughts on it is the best available modality. The unfortunate thing is that Medicare will not pay for it. That is the reason why Dr's will not order it and therapists won't request it. The irony is; it works better than any other type of "heat therapy" and alternate treatments I mentioned earlier. Look into it www.AnodyneTherapy.com is the leader in the industry. There are other infrared devices too. Anodyne Therapy is the industry leader. The important thing is ask for infrared treatments.... in fact demand it....The FDA cleared it for pain management poor circulation swelling and muscle spasms. Your loved one will respond to the treatments and be able to tolerate the physical therapy because she will have less pain in the long run. Good luck.