physical exercise in memory care

l7pla1w2 · April 27

My DW has been in MC for just two weeks. The MCF doesn't really have any facilities for real exercise. DW is in pretty good physical condition now. We regularly walked the dog, and she saw a personal trainer once a week. Without exercise, I imagine she can deteriorate quickly, losing muscle tone and balance, not to mention aerobic capacity.

Maybe I was remiss when choosing this MCF by failing to consider what opportunities they provide for exercise.

I'm looking for advice. Thanks.

sandwichone123 · April 28

Hi 17,

I don't remember the details of your wife's current situation, but the importance of physical fitness depends on your goals. Are you hoping to keep her physiologically healthy so that she survives until Alzheimer's takes her out at the end of Stage 7, or are your goals more focused on maintaining her quality of life in the present moment? Thinking about your goals for her care may provide clarity.

l7pla1w2 · April 28

DW is probably Stage 6. I feel it's my responsibility to maintain her health as well as possible. Just letting her deteriorate due to inactivity seems to me a failure of my responsibility.

You describe two goals, but aren't they the same: Keep her physiologically healthy until the end and maintain current quality of life?

Jgirl57 · April 28

Would it be in your budget to continue with a personal trainer ? Does the MCF have an activities coordinator you can speak with to try and increase her activity ?

SDianeL · April 28

When my husband was stage 6 and in memory care the doctor had physical therapy and occupational therapy come to try to get him to learn to use a walker. He could not learn. He eventually went into a wheelchair. Can the personal trainer she saw go to the memory care facility? It may help if she had the same person and same routine. Do you know what exercises the personal trainer had her do? Do you know if she actually did them? I would talk to the facility.

harshedbuzz · April 28

@l7pla1w2

This is a tough one. I suspect when your wife was at home with you, you assumed the role of cruise director by overcoming the inertia and apathy common to PWD by engaging her in the activities and actively supporting them. You mention a weekly training visit; did she do some sort of routine on the days that person wasn't there. My dad had PT at home twice weekly and enjoyed it but it didn't occur to him to do his "homework" and he refused if mom or I tried to do it with him.

IME, it can sometimes look as if there was a decline associated with placement. This assumption is often made by the POA who feels some guilt or remorse about the situation. But I feel like this is sometimes a chicken-or-the-egg situation where maybe it's the same disease progression that drove the need for placement that is causing the changes in physical fitness.

That said, once she settles into the MCF routine, you could bring the dog and go for a walk in the area. You could play fitness videos on a TV or tablet and do them with her on visits. If budget allows, perhaps the trainer could continue to work with her.

HB

midge333 · April 28

I think @harshedbuzz makes a great point. I think it is easy to blame a LO's decline after placement on the placement itself when in reality the decline was going to happen regardless of the LOs' environment. Dementia is a degenerative disease and terminal illness. Once your LO reaches stage 6, decline can occur rapidly.

Personally, I am not going to do anything that prolongs my DW's life at this point. My DW is in stage 6 and I do not want to prolong her suffering. If my DW wants to exercise because she enjoys it, then I am all for it. But, I am not going to encourage exercise to prolong her life. Everyone looks at these things differently.

l7pla1w2 · April 28

Thanks for your suggestions. I've held off bringing the dog so far. It's only been two weeks. I like the idea of exercise videos online, though I wonder whether she'd do them with me.

I think her quality of life would be worse if she required a walker or wheelchair, so I'd like to avoid or delay that if I can.

physical exercise in memory care

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