A physical therapist and an occupational therapist are coming to the house to help Mom for a few weeks. Already we have picked up some helpful information. Among other things, the occupational therapist showed us some bendable silverware that would help compensate for Mom’s crooked fingers and limited range of motion. The first week of physical therapy focused on Mom’s stance and center of gravity.
This first picture is the way she has been standing, even with help, for about a year and a half; in fact, she is straighter than usual in this picture. Normally, she is more bent at the hips and from the waist down she leans farther backwards, like the right half of the letter “X”. The more tired she is the worse she bends and leans.
Here she is after 40 minutes of therapy and practice. It wasn’t until I took these pictures and showed them to her that she understood what she was doing. Holding her hips over her ankles felt very foreign to her so she has to relearn what “normal” feels like. The therapist kept telling her to “belly up to the bar” as a reminder to stick her stomach out and bring her hips forward. It is amazing what a help this is to me during our transfers. I hadn’t realized how much I was unnecessarily being pulled against. I hope we are able to maintain what we learn from these patient women.
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