Things are going wonky

RanchersWife

Mil fell a week ago. It was like a tree falling in the forest. She had her hand on the counter but just went right over, stiff  as a board. She had abandoned the walker in her room. She cut her cheekbone on the floor. At first she was very alert and active. Then she slept a lot. Now she’s back to pacing the tiny house. She leans to the side and walks to the side. She slumps against us when we try to guide and support her to the chair she sits in for a whole two seconds. She leans all the way back when I have her on the toilet. She gets off balance when walking too...leaning far forward and going faster and faster. I don’t think she will be able to walk much longer. All she wants to do is walk. She’s going to fall again and again until she can’t walk. I don’t know what to do other than to let her walk. I ordered a transport chair so we could see if it fits in the tiny house. We will move her to our house when she can no longer walk. We definitely cannot have her pacing our house with tile floors and wide open areas. The bigger kids will get to sleep in the tiny house.

SusanB-dil

Sorry to hear this turn of events.

Has a stroke or 'tia' been ruled out?    (the leaning, sleeping, and the original fall...)

or inner-ear imbalance from possible ear infection or congestion?

Jo C.

So sorry for what has happened . . . it does sound as though there is a strong possibility that she may have had a stroke.

J.

Laura53

My mother progressed to being unable to walk in a similar fashion. She would drift to one side, then maybe the other. She would fall sideways even with the walker. Her feet would get caught on each other and she could feel that her feet weren’t working. She sometimes falls to the side when sitting. She can resist and become stiff as a board when you are trying to assist her-unintentional. My mom does get vertigo at times and often the stiffening happens when she feels like she’s falling from vertigo.  The biggest challenge for me is her struggle to recognize where her body is lying in space and unable to correctly follow directions for moving up, down etc.

My mom has fallen so many times with various injuries. We went through a phase where she literally scooted like a toddler all over the room because she wanted mobility but knew she couldn’t stand/walk on her own. She now is a pivot/ nearly a full lift to a wheelchair and she can kind of scoot herself around in the wheelchair.

It sounds like our loved ones are currently in a similar place.

RanchersWife

The hospice nurse came within an hour of the fall but she passed the screening. The two days before the fall she had been very active: talking word salad and getting into everything.

MN Chickadee

Have you ruled out UTI? Symptoms vary by PWD but often for my LO a fall is a sign that a UTI has taken hold. Unfortunately that is usually our first sign.  3 times over the last year a fall has indicated UTI. 

You're right, she probably will keep walking and falling. This is such a hard stage in the disease. The only thing you can do is have someone with her 24/7. We have had moderate luck keeping my mother seated when someone isn't actively engaging with her or walking with her. She most often sits in the common area of her facility in a recliner, and will stay put for a while if she is given things to keep her busy - the winning formula seems to be a blanket on her lap, a fidget toy or kids book, and a stuffed animal or her robo-cat, and music to listen to. Then she doesn't try to get up as much. I'm sorry it's a hard time for you all. 

DrinaJGB

Sounds like possibly a seizure or stroke.Becoming stiff and going over and later sleeping possibly sound like seizure.

  Leaning to one side sounds like stroke.

  Did she lose control of bladder/bowels? Seizures can cause that.Also folks who seize are very tired afterwards.

RanchersWife

We’ve had two normal days. She’s still declining steadily. Bidet remote is missing. I thought we were past the “snatching and hiding important stuff” stage.

abc123

Dear RW, thinking of you today and your MIL. I hope things are peaceful.

RanchersWife

Awww. Thank you abc123. We discontinued the Mementine and Donepezil. She’s been calmer. However, this coincided with me being her caregiver for 3.5 days straight. The caregiver who came yesterday at noon said they had a good day. I left at noon to go to town and spent the trip talking to my dad on the phone. He has COPD. I asked him if my mom (early stage dementia) would be able to recognize if he’s in distress with his breathing. He said, “I think I have a pretty good idea how this is going to go.” So I had to duck into the bathroom at the grocery store to cry. On the way in there someone stopped me to ask how my MIL is (small town). So I was all awkward and crying at them. My husband came up with the idea of a life alert button for my dad. He will keep it with him, I’m sure. He doesn’t have memory issues. 

We will see how the rest of the week goes. 

I must confess that I gave Grandma a pretty strong lecture about her behavior. She needed a change of pants. She came to me. I took her to the bathroom. As soon as we got in there she started hollering and gripping the rail. I didn’t even have her pants down yet. She was with it enough to know that a shower was coming (remember she snatched and hid the bidet remote). I got stern and told her that I was going to clean her up and she was going to let me and to stop hollering at me. I got some stuff off of my chest. I wasn’t mean. I was stern and matter of fact. She stopped and just stared at me. Then she cooperated with the shower which wasn’t super warm because I had been washing clothes and the water heater is really small in the tiny house. I’m not sure if she cooperated for my husband just now. I saw the lights on at 3:30am over there.