Mom also has a kidney problem which is stable .She sees the Doctor every month for checkups. I have someone come in every day from 8.30 to 2.pm to give her a bath, breakfast and lunch as she feels she cannot do it. after that she lies down until I get home at 7.00 pm to give her dinner. She would not get up and help her self.
Low B12 can be an issue with elders since it's hard to absorb even when the diet is good, so B12, too, should be checked.
Finding a balance for her is what you want since she may not be the type to enjoy a big social life. Yet, what she's doing isn't good, either.
There are some excellent suggestions and opinions on this thread so I'd read through them and then make an appointment with both her own doctor for a B12 check and other blood work plus a psychiatrist who works with elderly people so he or she knows that medications may or may not be the issues.
Another thing about medications - have a doctor review what she's now taking since some drugs can cause depression. It's a huge puzzle for many - this interplay between health issues and the good/bad of medications. Please keep us tuned in.
Carol
Second- I agree to get her out of the home. Sounds like you have a caregiver who you've hired to help her. If you live in a warm state, get your mom outside.
Even going to the mall for a walk is good therapy and its out of the house. Have your CG include activities and "exercise" as part of her daily routine. This does not mean barbells and weights, just staying active. Start w walking around house or marching in place. 5 mins is all you need to start. 5 minutes for 5 days is 25 mins. Then next week try 8-10. Obviously nothing strenuous or dangerous for her abilities. Mix up the activies so it's not boring. Do you have zoos, parks, malls, grocery stores the CG could take her. Find things your mom used to enjoy and perhaps some happiness will come from breaking up the routine.
Good luck and keep a positive smile on when you talk with her.
Sell this not as exercise, she does not need to know u are even doing this. Just trying to find stuff outside the home she might enjoy.
Written on my phone and I can't review it. Sorry for any typos or silly sentences.
It isn't that I disagree with other posters - depression is worth treating and does need to be looked out for, but inertia on its own isn't definitively diagnostic. If your mother has kidney disease, that in itself causes significant fatigue. All I mean to say is, do make adequate allowance for her being plain tired, too.
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