She had no issues previous to the fall. Was able to get up walk to bathroom, etc.
But now, even with skilled nursing assistance, she gets panicked when going from sitting to standing or vice versa. It has greatly affected her quality of life and left her mostly bed bound.
She suffers from dementia and Parkinson’s-like tremors (though not Parkinson’s). But she is so panicked that she can’t walk, can’t use the toilet herself, and is growing weaker due to the lack of exercise. Prior to the fall, she could walk 1/2 mile without stopping.
Thanks for any advice. We are not against drugs but don’t want to zombieify her.
Sometimes there is an event that happens that results in a big change in baseline that they never recover from , sadly . What if she was given a wheelchair and she could self propel in it using her feet . She may be less anxious , but can still get around a bit on her own . She can have help with transfers .
I’d work on having her anxiety relieved in general and not so much in trying to get her to walk .
It sounds like mom is already in Skilled Nursing care. Have physical therapy teach her how to "walk" with her legs in the wheelchair and move herself around that way. Mom was able to hoist herself on and off the toilet, but help was there for her 24/7 at the Memory Care.
Really, at this stage of life, you just want mom to be relaxed and as comfortable as possible. My mother lived to 95 even with the wheelchair and advanced dementia. PT becomes useless anyway as dementia progresses and they cannot follow instructions.
Best of luck to you.
However, she should NOT attempt to walk without mobility aids. She is still at high risk for falling again - and next time could result in a broken hip, broken arm, concussion,...it could be bad!
PLEASE get her a walker or a wheelchair to assist her in getting around. Make sure to remove trip hazards, such as area rugs.
Resist the temptation to assist her by holding on to her. You could both go down.
She needs assistance with toileting. Perhaps a raised seat with arms over the toilet to help her getting up. Someone needs to help with wiping, pulling her up, and pulling on her pants. If it becomes too dangerous for her to go to the toilet, then it will be time for incontinence briefs. In her condition, she will be incontinent soon enough anyway, if she is not already there.