Has anybody handled this? Partner was able to walk, now able to walk only short distances at times, and not at all when she is tired. Problem is she wants to walk all the time. My frustration level does increase, in spite of my knowing it is not her fault. And there is, unfortunately the danger of one of us or both getting hurt. Really don't want advice to admit her to NH. I do know it may come that. Just want to hear from others who may have gone through it.
During all the time that I cared for my dear Helen at home she was very strong and able to walk. I would have considered it a blessing if she was unable to walk.
She would continually walk out of the house, telling me "I'm going out to get a divorce. Don't try to stop me". Then I would have to follow her in our car keeping out of her sight and after and hour or more, when she was lost and bewildered, I could get her to come home with me.
Yes, we went through that, too--he never wandered outside of the house, but the "holding on to the furniture" stage seemed to go on forever. Fortunately, he liked to watch TV, so could "stay put" for fairly long periods of time. He would get himself to the bathroom by going back and forth supporting himself on the family room chairs. Not ideal by any means, and yes, there were the occasional falls. He had a walker, of course, but refused to use it. Another thing was that he would not wear good, supportive shoes. He insisted on wearing his sheepskin house slippers all the time--not the best choice for someone with impaired mobility. I would just say to do the best you can. It's not a perfect world. If she falls, just call the EMT's to come and pick her up. They do it all the time.
This is common in my husband's unit. The people who tend to do this sit on a pad that is attached to an alarm, which goes off if they stand up. Then a nurse or aide will jump up and run over to them, either sitting them down again, or sitting next to them, or distracting them with a book or something, or helping them to walk around the unit for awhile. I have been visiting there for so long that when the alarm rings, I start to jump up, too, like Pavlov's dog. There seems to be a regular schedule when aides help people like this to walk around the unit. (My own husband gets walked several times a day.) The whole thing is very labor intensive for the staff and must be terribly frustrating for the person who wants to walk but can't do so safely. I really sympathize with you and your partner.