general and likely terminal decline. they lose body fat then muscle mass. the digestive system is quite inefficient. white chicken and cooked rice are two of the highest energy foods requiring the least energy to digest. be aware of their leisure " sitting / sleeping " arrangement because bones are pressing against flesh with little padding and pressure sores are a grave concern. they dont heal well , if ever.. a fall and broken bones are the reality for a huge percentage of declining elders so i would pay special attention to the safety conditions in the home.
thanks SA. if the elder is under the care of a good geriatric trained doc the doc visits will become more frequent as end of life draws closer. comfort and peace should become the goal at this point, imo.. agitation is usually the result of loss of control so id suggest letting the elder think they are making every decision .
Thank you everyone for your quick responses, everyone's comment was either predictive or already happened.my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and depression eight months ago ,she is eighty .she is on Effexor to control depression and Denopesil(sp?) for memory.She has been doing pretty well ,being engaged and aware and remembering things.however , she has been consistently losing weight and has no appetite, I talked with her neurologist and he looked up the side effects of the Effexor ,and losing appetite is one.four weeks ago ,we went for a long walk and she almost fainted .She started having very hard time going up the stairs,two weeks ago she actually fainted in a store and was taken to the emergency room, they checked her heart and gave her all necessary heart related tests ,and concluded her heart is fine.A week ago she fell and broke her femur, luckily in a good place and is now recovering in a rehab,she weighs 89lb, and still has hard time even standing up a week after the surgery, she had a similar injury to the other leg two years ago and recovered much sooner.yesterday I notice a sore on her arm, it didn't look like it was healing .
It sounds like her blood pressure is low, but I'm not a doctor. Have the doctors checked her arteries? Feeling faint, weakness, and sores or ulcers on the skin that don't heal can be caused by peripheral vascular disease. There are many other effects. The main question would be that, if she does have it, would there be a benefit in trying to treat it. That depends on how much damage has been done and quality of life expected.
I don't know what might be going on and if something can be done. Sometimes it helps just understanding what it might be. My father had vascular disease that caused him to have weakness, low blood pressure in the end, leg ulcers, much pain in his legs muscles, and vascular dementia.
Hellen, a UTI is a urinary tract infection. I remind my MIL, age 86, every day is a gift from God when you are over 80. Just make sure mom is comfortable and happy. Our bodies don't heal like they did when we were younger and a lot can happen in two years.
Yeah, the literal direct answer to that question is "Time to go to the doctor, NOW!" but you already knew that...
Muscles can't rebuild and sores don't heal well with bad nutritional status. When we have a patient who either gets a sore with a minimal amount of pressure or does not heal one that really should be OK, and its not infected, we check albumin and pre-albumin levels and the results can be a surprise, sometimes calories total are not so bad but protein is way low. Vitamin D is often deficient or suboptimal too, and B12 and folate can also be checked.
So sorry this is happening, is it something that can be reversed back to baseline if she gts enough nutritional support, or are you starting to think this is it? You don't want to throw in the towel before its time, we see amazing rebounds often in the rehab biz...but at some point, not always possible. Hugs, either way...
A doctor visit is essential, however I would tend to agree with Captain. My mother, 87, in a NH with Parkinsons, stroke & dementia, broke a hip a year ago, hasn't walked since and never will. Before that I was able to get her in the truck and take her on outings. She now weighs less than my big labrador (Ashy is 85lb) and is unable to sit up or stand. According to her doctor "we just take it one day at a time".
I don't want to scare you, and there may be a fix for your mother's issues, but you have to consider all aspects for the future. Good luck!
My father has these same symptoms and was told that it was spinal compression - does she have bone loss? Both of my parents are losing muscle mass despite drinking the various protein drinks and having a good appetite, so I don't know what to tell you about that. Neuropathy can cause these symptoms. also ( poor circulation on the legs too) Dealing with this is distressing for me and I know it is for you as well - hard to know what to do.
She needs dr evaluation. She could be having some poor circulation which is causing the weakness in the legs, further the less she is up and around, the more weakness she will have especially if she has sat awhile. The fainting could be low blood sugar and this is common with elders. My dad had both of these and it helped that when he sat up, he would eat a couple crackers with peanut butter or cheese and have some juice, or sip a Boost or Ensure...then slowly stand up while he orientated himself. This helped him for awhile.
Eventually, he lost some muscle tone in his legs and complained about walking far, etc. It was a vicious cycle with needing to walk to keep strength up and just wanting to sit in a chair.
See a doctor to rule out anything serious. Keep moms nutrition up and have dr re assess drugs/meds and see if they need adjusted especially with her body weight.
a fall and broken bones are the reality for a huge percentage of declining elders so i would pay special attention to the safety conditions in the home.
agitation is usually the result of loss of control so id suggest letting the elder think they are making every decision .
I don't know what might be going on and if something can be done. Sometimes it helps just understanding what it might be. My father had vascular disease that caused him to have weakness, low blood pressure in the end, leg ulcers, much pain in his legs muscles, and vascular dementia.
Yeah, the literal direct answer to that question is "Time to go to the doctor, NOW!" but you already knew that...
Muscles can't rebuild and sores don't heal well with bad nutritional status. When we have a patient who either gets a sore with a minimal amount of pressure or does not heal one that really should be OK, and its not infected, we check albumin and pre-albumin levels and the results can be a surprise, sometimes calories total are not so bad but protein is way low. Vitamin D is often deficient or suboptimal too, and B12 and folate can also be checked.
So sorry this is happening, is it something that can be reversed back to baseline if she gts enough nutritional support, or are you starting to think this is it? You don't want to throw in the towel before its time, we see amazing rebounds often in the rehab biz...but at some point, not always possible. Hugs, either way...
I don't want to scare you, and there may be a fix for your mother's issues, but you have to consider all aspects for the future. Good luck!
Eventually, he lost some muscle tone in his legs and complained about walking far, etc. It was a vicious cycle with needing to walk to keep strength up and just wanting to sit in a chair.
See a doctor to rule out anything serious. Keep moms nutrition up and have dr re assess drugs/meds and see if they need adjusted especially with her body weight.