My husband, for the past couple of months, has been walking very stooped over with his head down. He also seems to be shuffling his feet more. Has anyone else noticed this in their loved ones? I am going to see about getting him some PT. Thanks
If the bones are brittle, he may be experiencing spinal compression fractures. In women they call this the "dowagers hump". My three sisters have this condition. I see a chiropractor monthly to prevent this from happening.
speech, stooped posture and shuffling gait are very common with vascular dementia or mixed dementia (usually Alz plus vascular dementia). I suppose it can also happen with Alz by itself. Getting stooped and slowing down often happen when people get older. The shuffling, though, is distinctive and can tell an experienced doctor a lot about what is wrong. I don't know if there is anything that can be done about it if the shuffling is from dementia or other brain dysfunction. Shuffling from some things, such as normopressure hydrocephalus, can be helped, but I've not heard of any successful treatments for shuffling from dementia.
He is 70. Was diagnosed w Mild Alz about 2 yrs ago. Had MRI and Nuclear Spect scans to Confirm. We have appt w Neurologist in May so I will mention this to him. My husband has been using a cane for years due to several bone fractures over the years : both hips, shoulders , wrist etc. He has brittle bones. We have a walker but right now he only wants to use his cane. I raised it as high as it will go. I am hoping PT will help.
Speech, my Mom was walking the same way but she didn't have Alzheimer's/ Dementia at that time. This happened due to the fact that she was using a cane that eventually her body was twisting over to the side where my Mom was holding the cane.
We tried to get my Mom to use a rolling walker but she refused, said it made her look too old.... guess that meant she looked 108 instead of 98.... [sigh]. My Dad took to the rolling walker pretty quick, and after a year his posture is pretty good for someone who is 94.
Speech, how old is your husband, and how advanced is his Alzheimer's? Did he have a thorough work up when they made his diagnosis, or is it solely based on his cognitive decline? The posture and gait sound very much like Parkinson's or even Lewy Body dementia.
Confirm. We have appt w Neurologist in May so I will mention this to him. My husband has been using a cane for years due to several bone fractures over the years : both hips, shoulders , wrist etc. He has brittle bones. We have a walker but right now he only wants to use his cane. I raised it as high as it will go. I am hoping PT will help.
We tried to get my Mom to use a rolling walker but she refused, said it made her look too old.... guess that meant she looked 108 instead of 98.... [sigh]. My Dad took to the rolling walker pretty quick, and after a year his posture is pretty good for someone who is 94.
The posture and gait sound very much like Parkinson's or even Lewy Body dementia.