lizi
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Joined: 2/1/2009
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quote:
ORIGINAL: kalikshama
quote:
One other thing to consider is that you have to be careful about making things easier. Safety is always a goal, but if someone doesn't actually *need* the help, it can incapacitate them further. In my job I see people who change to something easier and lose physical ability and health. A good example would be someone who was getting around with a walker or cane and goes to a wheelchair. Once someone is in a wheelchair they generally never come back out of it because they lose the musculature necessary to walk.
I don't think this is necessarily relevant to the OP, but absolutely relevant to my man's mother, who is using more aids and getting weaker, and not doing her strengthening exercises. He reminds her that her being able to stay in her house is contingent upon her being able to get around, which she acknowledges, but doesn't follow up on. I'll remind him to follow up about having the visiting nurse (?) come in regularly to help her get on an exercise schedule.
This is a free service that the social worker at her local hospital hooked her up with that fell by the wayside.
You may be surprised at how much this is related to the OP. If you're talking about a population that doesn't get much exercise, or is losing their abilities due to age or a physical problem, then a small link in the chain that is different, or suddenly nonexistent, can start a downward spiral. It happens, it's not rare.
Let's pretend that the OP's mother gets the new kitchen cabinets that caught the OP's eye- these bring all things stored in them down to eye level with little effort. So now instead of having Mom reach overhead several times a day and exercising her shoulder, using her ankle muscles to balance, using her neck muscles to look up, and even using her abdominal muscles to stabilize her arms to reach, she's instead not doing these things now with the new cabinets. She may definitely lose range of motion in many places, strength, and balance. I've seen it happen with people that I treat- its not a theory, and it's related to the most mundane things you can imagine.
Btw, what are strengthening exercises? They're eerily similar to reaching in cabinets, wiping our butts, carrying groceries, putting on a coat, cleaning the tub, or other activities of daily life. If we make our daily activities easier or non existent, it can certainly affect our physical self at any stage of life, but the ones who are sedentary or elderly would be most affected because many times they don't do much physical activity outside of what they have to do for daily life.
If something is needed for safety then it is warranted; if it can be done safely the 'hard' way with a bit more time and physical exertion, then it probably shouldn't be made easier when it's for someone who needs to keep the abilities that they have. Even I try to keep doing things the hard way. When I get dressed, I treat that as an opportunity to exercise my balance by standing on one leg instead of sitting down to put pants and underwear on- that's twice a day that I get the practice. 2 x/day more than if I were to sit. If I were truly losing my ability to do this, then I would be safe and sit. When I come down the stairs I don't hold onto the rail, I want to use the balance mechanisms that i have. I put things in my high kitchen cabinets that I use often, just so I have to go up to get them. I keep the cat food in a low cabinet so I have to squat down. I make daily obstacles for myself.
These are things I already do, so they're safe and I can do them. I wouldn't start doing things that I am not used to if I were physically fragile, but then I would concentrate on keeping doing the things that I'm already doing in order to keep the physical ability associated with it.
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What are those cabnits with pull down and spring load b... - 
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