Mobility Problems: What to Do When a Loved One Has Trouble Getting Around

Get an eye exam. Not only can the right prescription glasses help people see where they’re going, but researchers have found that procedures such as cataract surgery can help older people reduce falls.  

That’s a common fix: Studies show cataracts affect 1 in 5 adults older than 65 and more than half of those age 80 and over.

Pay attention to diet. Dehydration can lead to weakness, so make sure your loved one stays hydrated and limit alcohol use.

If your loved one’s vitamin D level is low, the doctor might encourage taking vitamin D every day. Or to improve bone density, a suggestion might include calcium-rich foods, like milk and yogurt.

Get moving

“The best and most robust data that we have is that even increasing your physical activity a small amount every day can really have very powerful effects on older people’s physical function and also prevent them from becoming disabled,” says Roger Fielding, associate director of the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University.

It’s never too late to start exercising, says Fielding, a senior scientist who has spent the past 25 years studying how skeletal muscle mass functions as people age.

“Even trying to walk 10 to 15 minutes, just a comfortable pace, every day, seems to help prevent mobility decline,” he says.

Add strength training. Your local senior center or YMCA might offer classes such as resistance exercise or strength training.

“The biggest thing we know is that even in very old people, the capacity of your muscles, your skeletal muscle, to adapt and respond to exercise, it doesn’t appear to be lost,” Fielding says.

Try tai chi. “They’ve just done studies on what kinds of exercises help, and the No. 1 exercise is tai chi,” says Suzanne Salamon, associate chief of geriatric medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. “And a lot of senior centers have tai chi classes. It builds up your muscle, and it helps balance.”

A study published in 2018 in the Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine looked at 670 adults 70 years or older with a history of falls or impaired mobility and found that falls were reduced by 31 percent in the tai chi group compared with a group that did a mix of aerobics and exercises for strength, balance and flexibility.

Use it or lose it. Whatever you do, keep moving, Caruso says.

“Stay as active as possible, whatever that means for you,” she says. “If that means taking a walk down your hallway three times a day and back, or if that means going out to a gym and working on cardio machines, whatever that means for you to maintain your level of functioning, stay active.”

Try a device. If your loved one already has mobility problems and function can’t be restored, it’s time to think about using a cane or walker, Reuben says. It can be a humbling discussion.

“These are big psychological issues,” he says. “We’re used to being on two legs. There’s an old, very famous riddle from ancient times: ‘What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon and three legs at night?’ And it’s man: All fours as a child, two feet as an adult and with a cane as an elderly person.

“What I frequently try to do is frame it with patients is the purpose of these is to keep you out, keep you active, keep you mobile, but doing so safely,” he says.

Make it fashionable. If the idea of a cane is a hard sell, you can appeal your loved one’s sense of style.

“It’s starting to be fashionable now to use walking sticks, the kind you use for hiking,” Salamon says. “And you can use either one or two, just like the hikers do. And I’ve had a few, not a lot, but a few patients who kind of perked up at the idea of using a walking stick instead of a cane. Somehow, it doesn’t have the same connotation.”

Consider a walker. Medicare covers basic models, and upgrades are available online for less than $100. Modern walkers are both more attractive and more stable than older varieties, Salamon says. Some come with seats and baskets, four wheels and even hand brakes.

Focus on safety

Around the house, make things safer by getting rid of clutter and taking other precautions. For example:

• Remove trip hazards from the stairs.
• Repair loose railings.
• Remove or secure loose rugs.
• Add task lighting.
• Put a nightlight in the bathroom, and make sure the floor isn’t wet.

“My mother and father were very smart,” says Hallisey, the eldercare advocate who helps care for her mom. “They took out the tub and put in a walk-in shower with a bench years ago. They put up grab bars.

“I put up a higher toilet because she was struggling even with the grab bars. We did a lot more task lighting,” she says. “One of the best things I ever did was buy her an Alexa because we have smart plug-ins. She can turn things on and off at will.”

Get a medical alert system. Salamon tells her patients that their best insurance may be to get a medical alert device that they can wear on their wrist or around their neck.

The devices are waterproof, so they even work in the shower. And if the wearer falls, the person can at least call for help. They come with a monthly fee, but “it’s extremely reassuring,” Salamon says.

If you're loved one uses a smartphone or tablet, there are numerous medical alert apps available for both Apple and Android devices. They often have additional features such fall detection and GPS tracking.

Don't be afraid of scare tactics. If other approaches aren’t working, Salamon isn’t afraid of using scare tactics with her patients, who range in age from 65 to 104.

“I say, ‘Don’t you know anybody that’s broken a hip? And they almost always do. And, you know, it can be really devastating.”

So, she appeals to their desire to say on the safe side.

“Most people, even if they’re 90 on the outside, they’re 40 on the inside, and they like to think of themselves that way,” Salamon says. “I think all of us think that we’re younger than we actually are. So, I just try to appeal to their staying independent more than anything else.”