My husband has been in placement since the end of June. He was put into a Merry Walker when he got there. He did very well until a week or so ago. He has started tipping it over and has had a couple of bad falls. It was determined that it was no longer safe for him and he was put into a wheel chair with a "self releasing seat belt" which, of course, he cannot get out of. He is livid. He has raced up and down the halls for days, banging into first one thing and then another. He has his arms beaten and bloody from his hands to his shoulders. He fights the chair constantly trying to get out. I am afraid that he is going to work himself into a heart attack or stroke. His physical therapist was interested in the fact that I belong to this group and asked that I ask all of you if you know of or have used any other type of walking aids that may be helpful to my husband. We are willing to try most anything.
Edis, from my reading up on this, i find that not all merrywalkers are alike - there are various models and should be fitted to height/weight. there is one model which is specific model for 'institutionalized' patients, ie-alzheimers/parkinsons/etc that is used per height/weight and has a BOTTOM WEIGHT that is TIP RESISTANT. maybe you can check this model out from the merrywalker site?
plus i may add that the july 09 Journal of American Geriatricts put out an article that stated over 47,000 Seniours had injuries to falls specifically from IMPROPER fits and use of walkers.
-according to the American Physical Therapists Assoc- walkers should be specifically used with a persons personal info -not just a generic type-
-walkers should be at a height to the wrists when the arm is at the sides.
-when using the walker arms should be SLIGHTLY bent when holding on but not BENT forward to reach the arms.
-check rubber tips for wear and replace as needed to prevent slippage
i know for a fact walkers can be ordered according to height/weights of the person intended for use. like a standard height with tall arms or a low height with tall or standard arms or standard height with standard arms.
maybe your physical therapist should take some measurements precisely to yyour DH needs and reassess his walker needs? i would ask her to check out walkers that are base weighted that PREVENT TIPPAGE as well. with a properly fitted merry walker i would hope he wouuld have more mobility and no falling. i can understand his distress over being locked into a wheelchair if hes capable of walking.
Considering his rage is resulting in bodily harm to himself, it sounds to me like he needs medication to deal with the anger and get him calmed down, rather than a different type of walking aid. That's just my opinion. Maybe others have better ideas.
Joan, I thought the same thing but didn't want to say because I am not that far into Alz with DH. There's always a chance I don't know what I am talking about. lol.
I do believe I would be in a rage too, if I was prevented from ambulating as I desired and unable to understand why. My thought is with divvi in finding a better ambulation aide
I would also be in a rage if I was strapped in a wheelchair. My husband didn't have good balance and needed a helping hand to walk without falling for a couple of weeks, then regained the ability to walk without aide. During this time, we asked him if he wanted a wheelchair and he said yes. He gets into it and lets us push him. With her husband, It could be circumstances, or it could be the staff. I, too, would see about another walker as Divvi suggested and try to stay with him when he gets it to see if he can handle walking with it. I definitely wouldn't want him strapped in if he was going to rage and hurt himself. Unless he rages about other things as well, I wouldn't want him medicated for that alone.
I mean no disrespect at all, but I don't think that the automatic response of "medicate them" is the right thing to do! As I stated in another thread, I am really having a difficult time with the medication issue, I believe my DH is way over medicated. I think divvi and Bluedaze suggesting a better ambulation aide is a far better solution.
Maybe both approaches would be better. Until a better ambulation aide is acquired, a little med to calm him down--nothing heavy duty, might get him through. Even lift recliners need to be fitted. Wheelchairs too, as do power chairs and scooters. Any crutches and walkers I've seen must be fitted to the height, weight, and reach of the person who will use them. Counter weights to prevent tipping would I think be a no brainer.
Thanks for all the input. Let me clarify that Charlie CAN NOT walk alone. He just doesn't realize that. I think that his sudden problem with the merry walker was two things. First, he has lost the strength to stand and walk. The merry walker is on wheels and when he would try to stand up, he would get his bottom just a couple of inches off the seat and not be able to get on up. When he pushed with his feet, trying to get up the walker rolled backwards. Then he would do one of two things, he would try to sit back down quickly but miss the seat or he would lean all of his upper body weight on the frame of the walker causing it to tip. Second, he can not be directed to use the walker properly. Sometimes he walked in it sideways, sometimes backward, sometimes he picked it up and carried it. Even though he can not really walk and is incontinent, he does prefer to stand to pee, to move his bowels and even pass gas. For now, they are going to try just having the staff walk him several times a day with a gait belt, if that does not work we will have to explore other options. I don't want him medicated either but if the gait belt doesn't work and we don't come up with something that does, then that may be the lesser of evils. We are having his "Team Care" meeting on Wednesday. Hopefully we can brainstorm and come up with something. Still open to suggestions from anyone here.
I'm a little surprised they didn't fit him for the merry walker. Every apparatus we have was "fitted", including his CANE, his walker and his wheelchair. Come to think about it, back when we got his shower chair, even that was adjusted. One size does NOT fit all. That's my two cents worth.
I'm running into problems with my husband using his walker, so I'm understanding you, Edis. I also looked at the merry walker pictures and don't see the aluminum tube construction that would allow it to be raised or lowered, the way our walkers can be. For a good while - a couple of years, my husband could walk with the walker and bring along the cane, holding it and the walker handle with one (large) hand. Now he can't figure out how to do that so I have to go trotting around carrying the cane to where he's going to need it next. Since he prefers the cane (but I prefer to have my furniture still standing) sometimes this doesn't work.. but he cannot stand and walk alone either. I couldn't get him to use the four-footed canes either - two canes were too hard to coordinate.
Not to divert the thread from ehamilton's query, but Briegull we have had much luck with a 3-wheeled walker. One wheel in front, two in the rear. DH can use it much better than the 4-wheeler or the straight-leg type that typically have tennis balls on the bottom. It folds easily to take with us in the car and he's able to tote his cane along with him if he wants to (tho he's never learned how to use the cane!)
When I was given a walker it was fitted to me in the hospital, and rechecked by the therapist they sent to the house. She had my husband buy the cane early so she could fit that too.