Go to the DR with her or for a PT consult.

My mom was shuffling and barely able to get up out of a chair in her mid-70s. It turned out she had serious knee and hip arthritis and at 82, after joint replacements, she is now mobile, walks the dog, climbs stairs, sits and stands pretty easily, and is clearly in much less danger of falling because her gait is more normal and she can handle lateral shifts without pain. Her overall demeanor is also much improved, between lack of pain and more moving around. (She's not *exercising,* per se, never has, but just ordinary daily mobility has made things so much better. This is really hard during covid, but when it's safe to do so I would recommend an ortho consult. Surgery may not be indicated, but it really is worth seeing if there's an underlying musculoskeletal condition and if she's become accustomed to a chronic level of pain that she should not have to live with.

79 can look very different depending on there person.

My dad is 78 and walks 3 miles a day, looks / carries himself like a much younger person. His voice has weakened a bit in the past few years, and he has some eye trouble, but other than that, very healthy and robust.

My neighbor at 79 was very wobbly and weak and slow and needed much more care.

I've seen others closer to 70 who appear what I consider to look more like 90.

So to answer your question, yeah, lots of 79 year olds are "old" and exercise would have likely helped, but it is what it is. I would make sure she has a good geriatrician.

My mom is 80 and has slowed down considerably in the last 2 or 3 years. She is still pretty active, but even 5 years ago I had a hard time keeping pace with her on walks and now I need to slow things down. Her arthritis has gotten worse and she gets knee pain when she walks too much.

Her building has a lot of old people--she has 70 year old neighbors who use walkers and a 95 year old neighbor who still lives along and works out and walks miles every day.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How would you know what walking is for a 90 year older for a 79-year-old? Do you work in a retirement home or where so that you know?

Well I go to a gym that has a large senior membership. 70s and up. I see women taking step classes and I can’t believe they are my moms age! I guess that’s what makes me wonder what’s going on with my mom. Are these women anomalies?

Are you really this obtuse?
There’s a in shape 20 year olds and out of shape 20-year-olds. Some 30 year olds can run triathlons, some can’t complete a 1 mile walk without being out of breath.
Same applies to old people.
And 79 isn’t the same as 72. Just like 2 year old isn’t the same as 9 year old. Or 12 compared to 19. 21 compared to 29. A lot happens over a decade.
I went hiking with a ladies group in Asheville. The oldest was 73, and has been hiking her entire life. She was still very slow. I hope that I am still hiking at 73, even at a slow pace.
if a woman has been sedentary her entire life, by age 79 it will definitely show.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How would you know what walking is for a 90 year older for a 79-year-old? Do you work in a retirement home or where so that you know?

Well I go to a gym that has a large senior membership. 70s and up. I see women taking step classes and I can’t believe they are my moms age! I guess that’s what makes me wonder what’s going on with my mom. Are these women anomalies?

I think there is a range when it comes to mobility and arthritis is common as you age. My mom is in her 80s and generally very active, but she has a few days where she needs a cane because her knee is acting up. Those ladies may be feeling it the next day, or not.

Anonymous wrote:OP, the life expectancy for an American woman is 81. So yes, starting to be quite old at 79 is very normal. There are certainly plenty of active 80 year olds, but please remember that a shuffling gait isn’t “walking like a 90 year old” because the vast majority of 90 year olds can’t walk because they are dead.

My dad just turned 80 and he walks much like you describe. That said, he had a fractured spine last year and a knee replacement shortly before that. Mom makes him do some exercise and he also does some PT. He uses a cane for stability as needed, but resists bringing it with him.

OP, the life expectancy for an American woman is 81. So yes, starting to be quite old at 79 is very normal. There are certainly plenty of active 80 year olds, but please remember that a shuffling gait isn’t “walking like a 90 year old” because the vast majority of 90 year olds can’t walk because they are dead.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How would you know what walking is for a 90 year older for a 79-year-old? Do you work in a retirement home or where so that you know?

Well, I go to a gym that has a large senior membership. 70s and up. I see women taking step classes and I can’t believe they are my moms age! I guess that’s what makes me wonder what’s going on with my mom. Are these women anomalies?

Well there is your answer. Does your mom exercise and walk a lot or not? I see plenty at my gym, and then my mom is obese and barely walks. There is a correlation, I believe, between physical and mental health and your levels of exercise, walking, doing something. If you don't use it, you lose it. It truly is that simple. Those women are making a point to work out and to keep their bodies working. If your mom is working out just like them, then you should worry. If your mom sits at home all day long, well, you know the answer.

Anonymous wrote:How would you know what walking is for a 90 year older for a 79-year-old? Do you work in a retirement home or where so that you know?

Well I go to a gym that has a large senior membership. 70s and up. I see women taking step classes and I can’t believe they are my moms age! I guess that’s what makes me wonder what’s going on with my mom. Are these women anomalies?

Anonymous wrote:My 79 yr old mom is walking more and more like a 90 yr old imo. She shuffles really slowly and can’t get up from a low seat. I told her she needs to start using a walker but she is mortified at the thought. We go shopping together and walking thru the stores is in slow motion. She has never exercised a day in her life and has lived a very sedentary life, only 15 lbs overweight and doesn’t have any medical issues that I know of. Fyi she refuses to go to doctors. I just see such a rapid decrease in her mobility I can see her in a wheelchair very soon. I’m almost 60 and climb ladders, move furniture, run stairs and have exercised my whole life. My DH says that’s the norm for a 79 yr old and to let it go.

My mom is 83. Her mobility declined over the last few years. So yes, normal.
My mom has both a cane and a walker for bad days. She has had to use a grab bar in the shower for several years. Just this weekend I got her a shower chair because she was so scared about falling in the shower that she was taking less showers. I stayed with her while she took a shower for the first time with it, and she was so happy; she really loves having a chair for the shower as it will make it easier, safer, and less stressful.

And what difference does it make what you think your mom should walk like?

How would you know what walking is for a 90 year older for a 79-year-old? Do you work in a retirement home or where so that you know?

My 79 yr old mom is walking more and more like a 90 yr old imo. She shuffles really slowly and can’t get up from a low seat. I told her she needs to start using a walker but she is mortified at the thought. We go shopping together and walking thru the stores is in slow motion. She has never exercised a day in her life and has lived a very sedentary life, only 15 lbs overweight and doesn’t have any medical issues that I know of. Fyi she refuses to go to doctors. I just see such a rapid decrease in her mobility I can see her in a wheelchair very soon. I’m almost 60 and climb ladders, move furniture, run stairs and have exercised my whole life. My DH says that’s the norm for a 79 yr old and to let it go.