For several years, I've been caring for my mother-in-law, who is currently 92 yrs old, about 300 lbs and with bad knees. She's incontinent, so she wears Depends and we have a towel and absorbent pad under her lift chair (a recliner that also can help lift her up almost to a standing position). We have tried to help her lose weight over the years, but she refused. Because she is an adult, entitled to make her own decisions, we have respected her choices. But we've reached the point where now she can no longer walk. It takes both my wife and I to help her from her lift chair to her wheelchair and from the wheelchair to the toilet and vice versa. Further complicating matters, she refuses now to make the effort, preferring to sit in her own filth to allowing us to change her underpants and robe. I don't know what to do. I love her dearly and know that standing and walking take tremendous effort, and cause her pain. But we can't allow her to just sit for days at a time in a pee and poop soaked diaper. Any advice is welcomed. Peace out, Dharma Sun City West, AZ
If you have the space, and can get funding, there are some wonderful lifts put out by Rifton. They can enable a non-ambulatory person to tranfer, sit stand and possibly even move themselves around a bit. It could help your mother-in-law to bear a little bit of weight in a very safe manor. My partner has many physical and mental disabilities. She is only 62, but weighs about 300 lbs and, as she declines, I am sure she will be in a similar situation. I am glad there are two of you. Good Luck.
Mobility and Ambulation – Vital in a Home Care Environment by tenderheartsathomecare
Mobility is one of the aspects that decay as we grow older. Seniors can feel frustrated by the lack of mobility because they might be unable to perform activities they would like to or maybe their body does not respond to their mind.
Being able to move as one would like to in certain ways defines our independence and not being able to do so can trigger depression, lost in motivation or even circulation problems. If our clients have a reduced mobility we believe it is important to help the seniors feel motivated when dealing with this kind of situation
The first thing to consider is what kind of mobility problem the senior is facing. It could be a temporary mobility issue that will required temporary changes in their lifestyle or it could be a permanent mobility issue that would required permanent changes made to the senior’s routine. Caregivers, when assisting your loved one, will apply different techniques to help the senior overcome their mobility disadvantages.
Once the mobility issue has been classified as temporary or permanent there are some methods to help elderly people that have limited mobility: