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Since I went back to using the walker only in the house (except from bathroom to bed at night -when she is so tired and weak) her ability to stand, turn around, and keep me from lifting her has increased dramatically. There is no easy answer, but I have seen that once you reduce muscle use, you reduce muscle strength and you reduce the person's ability to help you move them. What do you do when your assistance is not enough because of their reduced muscle strength? You either call in hospice or put them in nursing home where they can get more help. And yet, when I visit nursing homes, they are so short on help that the patients may not get the help they need. It can be a conundrum. Only the person who is daily with the patient can truly figure it out.
She was highly resistant to getting the walker, and only agreed to hire one short-term when she came out of hospital after a minor op. After three months (minimum hire), she didn’t want to let it go. The hire company was delighted to sell it to her cheap, because it was an old model that wasn’t height-adjustable and was shorter than most people. MIL was just the right height, so she kept the one she loved.
Once you sit down a rely on wheelchair to get around, he will very quickly be unable to walk at all. As legs get weaker, they won't be able to help you to stand, to move from one seat to another.
Keep moving.
Even the recliners that do sit to stand lifting are problematic. Stop using leg muscles and arms to stand and push up, you lose the ability.
Get Dr to order home health care and physical therapy/ occupational therapy. One does waist down and one waist up.
How about using both? Meaning wheelchair only on outings?
My husband has Parkinson’s disease, no dementia, but his motor skills are becoming worse and faster than expected.
He is struggling to walk with walker. I know wheelchair will be needed soon. PT and meds were working until lately.
You can also find free chairs through your social services of department of aging community closet. They should have the info about where donated medical equipment is available
Putting my mom into a wheelchair was a difficult decision and I was warned that she would get weaker faster. However, safety for both mom and myself, as well as quality of life, led me to the wheelchair.
Remember to take care of yourself or you won’t be able to take care of your husband.
@cdmdudley "It’s me that needs my husband in a wheelchair, so we can go back to walks along our nearby seafront."
While I agree a transport chair is much easier to handle... but only when he is NOT in it. It definitely is lighter to put in and out of a car. Of course he always has the option to push the empty chair (like a walker) when he feels like walking. It is best for smooth surfaces but can be difficult if you need to use it for very far especially on uneven sidewalks and probably next to impossible if you have to go on the grass or dirt (even packed) surfaces. When I picture your nearby seafront, I also picture possible boardwalks. Uneven surfaces and even smooth (long distance) can wear you out.
You might want to consider asking around if someone has one you can try with him sitting in it and compare to a regular one. At the least try both in a store, I recommend you do not order online for this reason. You know the uses you may need for one and hopefully can make the best choice. You might also check with your local council on aging and they may have a resource that distributes donated ones in good condition.
For what it is worth, when we went to the VA, I had the intention of getting a transport chair. The Occupational Therapist talked me into a regular chair because of the effort it can take at times to push someone in a transport chair. She explained the pros and cons of both and we decided on the regular chair for our anticipated needs. I do keep it in the trunk all the time because we don't use it unless we do have a distance to walk like in a store. Sometimes there have been very kind people walking by who offer to help me get it in and out. I also went ahead and bought a transport chair (I think less than $200) at Aldi's when I saw one there. It is nice to have both if you have the option.
Transport model is lighter to put in/out car BUT smaller wheels mean harder to push.
Full size wheel model has heavier frame BUT much easier to push.
(Some have pop-off wheels that make it a little easier to fit in the car).
I am a slight female. I cannot lift any of the frames into my car.
Would he be safer using a wheelchair?
Would I be safer with him using a wheelchair?
If the answer to the either one is yes then there is no question.
He WILL get weaker. With or without a wheelchair.
He will get weaker if he falls and breaks a hip.
He is struggling with 2 life limiting conditions. I think a wheelchair will make his and your life a bit easier.
You/he will still have the option to use a walker. So if he is resistant to the idea of a wheelchair compromise and say we will "try" the wheelchair when we go for long walks or out to the store. He can use the walker in the house.
My mom has been losing her mobility over the past 2 years. She has been using a walker in the house and walker/wheelchair on outings so that we can push her if she gets tired (which is happening more and more).
Yesterday we invested in a power wheelchair. She loves it! Mom was cruising around a local store within the hour. We're going to encourage her to use the walker as much as possible within the house so that she doesn't further decondition. But the power wheelchair (very light for lifting in the car) should give her greater independence while maintaining safety.
I think most of these mobility journeys require a hybrid approach depending on the stage of dementia.
Good luck with finding a solution(s).
An inexpensive transfer chair may be sufficient for now but if the time comes that he is spending most of his day in it I encourage you to work with an occupational therapist to have him fitted for a customized wheelchair with all the bells and whistles - tilt in space, lateral supports, pressure relieving cushion (like ROHO) and head rests - they are expensive but there usually are supports to cover much of that cost.
Then I will tell you what my husbands neurologist told me many years ago and that was to let my now late husband keep walking when able so he wouldn't lose his ability to.
I only used his transport chair when I knew that he was weak or tired, or if we were going someplace that required a bit more walking than I knew he could handle.
And the neurologist was right, because when my husband almost died of aspiration pneumonia in 2018, and was hospitalized for almost a month, he ended up coming home completely bedridden and unable to walk at all and under hospice care.
So if you want to go on walks with your husband or go shopping, then perhaps it best to take along the transport chair, but otherwise I would let him walk with his cane or walker at home and for shorter stints.
Weather or not it makes him weaker faster, won't matter if he has a sever fall, breaks a hip or hits his head.
So sorry about your husband's declining health