Dad’s posture is declining rapidly

April23

My 78 year-old dad with LBD has begun leaning significantly to the left and forward. In just two months, he has gone from being only slightly stooped to hunched at almost a 90 degree angle when standing. This causes him to look at the floor instead of forward so his caregivers are becoming reluctant to walk him (he can walk with a walker or assistance). He also tracks to the left when pedaling in his chair.

He has had PT and OT for some time and I had his PT go over his entire wheelchair with me to see if improvements could be made. He basically said the chair is fine but he’s the one repositioning himself. We’ve been trying wedges and cushions to keep him propped up but he can remove them.

He is constantly looking at the hardwood floors in his RCF, always leaning over and looking down. He always wants to sit in the wheelchair, rarely can they get him to sit in his recliner. We took him on an outing today and he could barely sit up straight enough to look out the car window when two months ago at Father’s Day he was fine in the car.

Does anyone have experience with this? I’m afraid that now we will always have to use the wheelchair when we go out and his days of walking the little that he does are coming to an end.

terei

This type of issue has been described here on many occasions. It certainly appears that it is part of the disease process.

April23

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/comment/251916#Comment_251916

Oh ok thank you, I'm fairly new. I'll do a search and see if I can find something.

SDianeL

I don’t have experience with LBD but found this: “People with Lewy body dementia (LBD) typically require a wheelchair in the later stages of the disease, often referred to as stage seven or end-stage dementia. This stage is characterized by a severe decline in both physical and cognitive abilities, including significant difficulty with walking, movement, and balance due to the parkinsonian symptoms common in LBD. While there's no fixed timeline, the progression of the disease leads to increasing immobility, necessitating a wheelchair for safe mobility and support.” Broda makes a special wheelchair for LBD. Not sure if insurance would cover it.