Hi Everyone,

I have a question about my Mom, her health has been declining lately and I have been worried constantly.

She lives with us and has watched my kids since they were infants, my kids are now 6 and 10; anyway, about 7 years ago she had both of her knees replaced and she did very well for a few years, she went to Disney World with us and walked the parks and everything. Well for the past 4 to 5 years she has gotten very lazy and expects me and my husband and kids to do everything including serving her and getting her whatever she needs so she is moving less and less and I know that part of this is my fault for enabling her but she is my Mom and I have always (for the most part) done whatever she asked of me. Almost a year ago she started even having trouble walking short distances because she would be out of breath, I finally talked her into going to a doctor and found out she has congestive heart failure and high blood pressure. So she is now on all kinds of medications but she felt better after getting under control. Still, she does not do much of anything except sit in front of the TV or sit at the computer or lay on the couch and nap and it is even worse now that both kids are in school full time. She is bored but does not want anything to do with excersize.

Well recently she has fallen down a few times and I think it may have to do with all of the medication she takes, they all say causes dizziness and the worst problem is when she falls she cannot get up on her own. We have to help her get up because she cannot bend her knees and has no strength to help herself. Twice she has fallen outside while getting the dog back into the house, she says she slips on the snow but I am not sure and luckily both times someone was out and helped her up. I finally got her going to a chair excersize class on Wednesdays for an hour but I really need some ideas for what we can do with her for the other days to build her strenth and balance because she needs more that one day a week. I also need to figure out a way for her to let the dogs out without them getting the lead wrapped around the tree which causes her to have to go out and undo them.

Sorry for rambling so much, I appreciate any advise you could give us.

Sorry to hear about your mother and her health problems. It can be tough as depression can often go unnoticed, but linked to poor motivation. I am an Occupational Therapist and would be willing to provide some suggestions.

It is important that she feels like she still has 'intrinsic value' when doing tasks. When others perform our adl (self-care) tasks for us, we soon learn to feel like we cannot do them adequately. So, make a daily 'to do' list, so that she can know what tasks she can do each day that would allow her to contribute, especially since you have small kids to raise. Maybe fold towels, ironing, etc. It could be any task, and these should be written out, so she has some sort of goal here.

One item therapy has started using and it is great for seniors, is the WII video game that encourages movement, balance, range of motion, etc. Your kids would like this too. :)

You can request a therapy order from her physician, so that she could go to physical therapy outpatient a couple of times a week and this can make a big difference.

Good like here,
Tim OT

Thank you Tim for your great sugestions!

I have thought about that but when I have asked her for help she kind of rolls her eyes and says she does not want to do it.

She has gotten better recently though, I have asked her to just walk around the house a few times a day and to try to make a goal to do more each day if she can. She has been doing that and she seems more alert for it and she is continuing to go to the senior center for her once a week chair excersize class, hopefully she will make some friends and want to do other activities. She is also helping the girls more with homework and she helped them get all of their valentines ready for school so I see some improvement. I am going to continue to push her to walk and use your suggestion and write a list of things she could help with and leave it up to her to do them if she wants.

Thanks again for your help and concern!

Well, with this amount of resistance to your efforts at getting your mother to move and exercise, there isn't a lot you can do to help her, even though you want to!

However, there is something she can do, sitting and laying down and that is: stretching.

Stretching exercises do not require much effort and they help in keeping the muscles supple.
Yoga is a form of stretching and balancing, but perhaps that would be too much for her.

Simple stretching exercises, ensuring that all joints are involved in it, done every two or three hours, can help her a little.

Another thing she can do is, Pranayam.
This is controlled breathing.. breathing in through one nostril and then breathing out through the other nostril, after holding the breath for a few seconds... and then reversing the nostrils for the next breath cycle.

Regular practice of Pranayam brings equanimity to the mind and removes toxins from the body, too.

A little at a time, can ultimately go a long way!

I see you are located in the united states. The Y has a senior fit program and they have participated in studies with regarding senior fitness. An elderly person can still gain muscle and movement at the same rate as a 20 yr old by using a circuit of machinery. Their results showed increase in strength to the point of some people not neededing canes and walkers. Here is a similar program to the one they were running.
Senior-Fit (05/05/2009) - Event - UNH Cooperative Extension (http://extension.unh.edu/events/index.cfm?e=app.event&event_id=18685)
Call your local Y and ask if they have the senior fit program for strength.

Wish you the best!
Wish you the best