How mobile is your elderly parent?

[Anonymous]

My Dad is 86 is moves slowly. He has had both knees and one hip replaced. Congestive heart failure. He has edema in his lower legs which is really causing most of his slow moving issues. He is able to walk around the house and to and from car short distances, but any long distances he is in a wheel chair.

Mom is 77 and has Parkinson's. She is able to mover pretty well still, but when I was home over Christmas, she said and I noticed that she is starting to have some drop foot in her right side. She goes to PT multiple times a week and is otherwise active.

Tough to see your parents get old.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We’re visiting with my 83 year old father and he’s having a difficult time getting around. Walks haltingly and very slowly. Takes steps one at a time using 2 feet on each step, not walking up or down with one foot on each step.

He exercises regularly with racket sports and swimming and some weight lifting. He’s been obese his entire life but never thought he had a weight problem. Is this normal? I am surprised given how much exercise he claims to do.

None of those activities really help with balance, though, do they? And I'm 58 and stiff in the morning from ankle arthritis. I take the steps one at a time first thing in the morning.

But to answer your question, my 84 year old mother is very active. She just had a hip replaced and she was very slowed down by the pain "prior" to the surgery. She had one bad week after that surgery but has steadily improved and is back to shoveling snow and doing all sorts of active chores. She is slightly overweight.

[Anonymous]

My mom is 75 and literally hobbles around. She has bad balance and falls. She has had heart surgery and orthopedic surgery in the past 5 years and didn't do the rehab associated with either surgery. I'm not a doctor, but in my mind this was the start of her decline. I think she would be in better shape if she had done both (or even one) of the required rehabs and tried to do something gentle like walking a few times a week. I think 75 is young to be in such bad shape and I fear she is going to need assisted living soon and will be upset that she's living with the "old people," as she calls them.