Is a recliner bad?

i dont totally agree. my mother bought an electrically controlled recliner 3 months before she died and it was her best source of comfort. a recliner lying back puts weight on the lumbar and spine and can actually relieve pressure points on the hip bones.

Yes, this is a bad thing. Being elderly and being stationary for long periods of time is so detrimental. Your mom will grow very weak from her sedentary lifestyle and she'll be at risk for pressure ulcers on her rear end. I work in home health and I do a lot of rehab with the elderly and the one thing we emphasize is to get up every 30 minutes and walk around.

My own personal experience: After a very bad health scare my mom was recovering in rehab. She had done very well and was discharged home. Once she got home I think the enormity of what she had been through hit her and she took to her bed. She just laid in bed all day and all night getting up only to use the bathroom and to drink an Ensure. She started falling almost everyday and my dad would call me to come and peel her up from the floor. I told her she had to get out of bed. I begged her. I threatened her. I yelled at her. Nothing worked. I knew she was going to die and she did. A few weeks of laying in bed had damaged her body and electrolytes so bad that she died. Granted, she had been ill but her illness had been cured by this time. It was the laying in bed day after day after day that killed her.

Another example: I had a patient who took to her recliner much like your mom. She got up to use the bathroom and that was it. She had ulcers on her bottom and could barely walk when she did get up. When she was up she complained about how weak she felt and I explained that she felt weak because she sat in that chair all day. But it's like a vicious cycle. Sitting around all day makes someone weak so when they do get up they feel very weak so they want to sit back down for long periods of time again.

My favorite motto is "use it or lose it" and that is the truth. Try to get your mom up and moving as often as you can or she will grow weaker and weaker with each passing day. Not only will she grow very weak but her body will actually start to change in appearance, it will take on the shape of the chair. She'll stoop over and her legs may not straighten out and she may begin to walk hunched over. She needs to be up!

Staying in the same position and not moving around for long periods is not good, whether it is in a recliner, on the couch, in bed, in a special lift chair or anywhere else.

It is not the fault of the recliner, but if Mom is more apt to be a little more active if she uses some other seat, then changing seats MIGHT help.

I LOVE my recliner. We first bought one because it seemed to help my husband breath easier with his congestive heart failure. One night after he went to bed I sat in it. OMG! I went out the next week and spent a day picking out one for me. It makes me smile every time I sit in it. Why shouldn't someone who is sick have the most comfortable seat he or she can find? (Or someone who isn't sick, for that matter!) It is the lack of activity that is the problem. I'd try to work a little harder on that (which I know is exceedingly hard) rather than focus on the kind of seat.

If it weren't for Mom's recliner, her feet would be on the floor 24/7. A few years ago her prosthetic hip deteriorated and the original surgeon advised against repair. Since then, Mom's muscles have compensated so she can stand and walk. But because of the original pain, she no longer lies down in bed to sleep. I'm happy when she uses the recliner and her feet are elevated, greatly improving circulation.

We bought my father a lift chair because he wouldn't get out of bed. After he had the chair, he would at least get a little exercise walking to the chair, to the bathroom, to meals, a little therapy and then back to bed. He was at the point where he was unable to walk unassisted. Also being able to put his feet up helped with the edema in his legs.

i believe in creature comfort at all cost. im sitting in a camaro bucket seat right now but eventually ill move up to something with adjustable lumbar..
be a jellin then..

i took a chance and bought my aunt a used recliner and she loves it -- slept in it last night. before now she either sat in a wheelchair or sat on a delapidated couch with her feet up in the wheelchair.
anyone who doesnt like their recliner, ill trade you a camaro bucket seat and 2 concrete blocks for it..

I saw my husband morphing into his recliner. It was scary. He became more and more lethargic, saying it was to hard to get out of it, and therefore he stayed in it. I finally convinced him to get rid of the darn thing. He's now walking more, his posture is getting better, and I think his mind is better. So I say, "No more recliners!"

Captain i agree about making them comfortable later on but my mum is only 76yrs old and will die alot sooner if she dosnt move her butt she goes from bed to settee to bed its not good for her body. Your mum was at the end stages and all we can do then is make them comfortable. Im afraid she may stop walking soon. Getting a bit couch potatoe myself lately just fed up and getting lazy better get out walking soon but the rain dosnt help!

My mom does not really like the recliner - sometimes she will sit in it, sometimes sideways with her legs dangling over the edge. She tries to sleep every now and then in the living room in a Queen Anne chair. We do not let her do that. I totally agree with you, I know it is bad for her circulation. Motion is good. Follow your instincts. Maybe you could "trade" her the recliner for something else she might like - she might be willing to do it if it is a trade.