My 92 yr old grandmother screams and cries that she can't walk or move her legs. I usually stand her up & hold onto her until she's steady then force her to walk by holding on to her hands & walking in front of her. Eventually she stops crying & keeps moving. Am I doing her more harm by forcing her to move?
But as a rule of thumb, if you ever find yourself describing what you are doing as "forcing", then don't. Encourage, assist, coax, beg, use shameless bribery - these are all fine. Force is the wrong side of the line.
By all means, see a doctor about the pain. But if it's something like arthritis moving around is what can alleviate the pain. Which seems to fit in with what you are describing. Personally I have a bad elbow. When I wake in the morning it's stiff and painful. After I swing it like a rusty hinge for a while, it's all good for the rest of the day.
A gait belt might be useful. Think of it as a handle you can put on someone.
We asked our mother's geriatrician whether we should encourage our mother to walk more. She said that no amount of walking or exercise would solve her mobility problems. Help her walk if she wants to walk. Pushing a grocery cart seems comfortable for many of the elderly with similar problems, and if she shops with us, that might not be a bad activity. But when that gets to be too much for her, use the store's wheelchair.
What made you decide that forcing GM to walk was good thing for you to do? I assume you sincerely have thought it was good for her. I'm glad you are asking now.
Get a professional opinion on what kinds of activities would be best for GM.
I don’t think the OP is being mean. I think her grandma may turn on the tears to try to avoid that walk.
I doesn’t sound unreasonable to me that the grandma be asked to walk several feet daily. Walking is a skill set that if you don’t do it, you lose it. And the OP stated her grandma stops crying & proceeds to complete the walk.
JMO.
Many years ago, my mom was in a nice assisted living place where she was getting PT after a fall. They had taken her to the hospital, gotten all the right xrays. But mom was being very "stubborn" when the PT came, refusing and crying, finally getting up and "trying" to walk. When he saw this, he IMMEDIATELY ordered another xray. Mom had a broken hip.
Are you using a gait belt?
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