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When I said "dance" I meant that his wife would stand facing him and put her arms on his shoulders and he in turn would put his hands on her shoulders and they would walk...she backwards....until they get to their destination. the "dancing" was to show the position they walked...not literally dancing. PD is progressive. We have seen him walk with a shuffle taking short choppy steps until he began freezing and then falling. Gradually he could not walk without falling. This was over a time span of some 8 years. He could walk with support with me, his sons, and his wife up until recent time. He can't now since he was allowed to become immobile in the nursing home. The PD Dr (very good one) stated his fixed ligaments in his legs got that way because of the inactivity. This occurred over a time period of 5 months. Now the nursing home will attempt to get him back on his feet again.....but we don't know the prognosis now. In his wife transferring him to the car to the wheelchair to his home he was able to support himself in the transfer...as if he were going to walk. Now that is not happening. We are all realist....we know he has PD. But as many have said....exercise is what PWP need. In John's case he is not getting it. Yes, we take him in the wheelchair...even to a baseball game and to the shopping mall....and sometimes to church (rarely done now). We were all ignorant of PD and are continually becoming better informed.....but exercise should be part of his regiment....or else the stiffness gets stiffer and more rigid and his life is limited even more. Thank you for your ideas though. Larry ----- Original Message ----- From: <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Wednesday, September 18, 2002 12:56 PM Subject: Re: Physical Therapy > Larry, > > Is it possible that your brother has had more mini strokes and that impaired > his ability to move (dead weight to move anywhere)? Undoubtedly, not being > "danced" around the house each day is part of the reason he is not > moving.....but is it the entire reason? > > If he could "dance" a few feet.....(bedroom to the top of the stairs) would > it actually get him anywhere in the nursing home? (It was a l-o-n-g walk > from my mom's room to the dining room.....and she had not walked that > distance in years). Climbing stairs is a different muscle group than walking > on straight land.....many of us could climb stairs when we had difficulty > walking. > > You mention "enjoying" walking with your brother.....could you still take him > for long walks in his wheelchair when you visit? My husband and I used to > enjoy long walks, but he does not easily accept a wheelchair for me at this > time, so we don't take those walks anymore. Eventually he will accept a > chair, and we can "walk" together again. Have you tried this with your > brother? > > Is there anything his wife cannot do with him at the nursing home that she > would do with him at home (other than dance him from one piece of furniture > to the other?) > > I am continuing this line of questions only because I do believe that family > members sometimes have more guilt and more difficulty accepting the decline > than the patient does. Or we as PWP wrestled with the decline in earlier > years when our families were still "questioning" our symptoms/diagnosis, > ignoring our subtle struggles, or telling us how we could handle them > better.....and now we are more accepting (and have less energy) to deal with > some of these issues. Sometimes we have fought the fight valiantly....and > decided to watch the world in our own quiet way. > > How often in the day is your brother "combative" or "lettting you know he > doesn't like the situation".....How much more often does this occur than when > he was 50 years old? (Some people are always combative and could never be > satisfied.....others are more easy going from the start......has this > changed??) > > It is difficult to face aging, and inability to cope with simple tasks of > life. I did come to understand/accept the fact that in a nursing home, my > mother was safe, well nourished, clean, warm, dry.......had more activities > than she would have had at home, around more people than she would have been > at home (and most are alive, responsive, attentive....staff and visitors), > and more mental stimulation. > > Rita > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn