Caregivers Support Group
A voluntary caregiver is a spouse, relative, friend or neighbor of a disabled person or child who assists with activities of daily living and assists those unable to fully take care of themselves. The challenges of a caregiver are unique and sometimes it's hard to find people to talk to who know what you're going through. Join the conversation and find others who...
I am the caregiver for my father who has advanced Parkinson's Disease. I'm looking for advice on how to help him when the muscles in his legs become rigid. Everything out there says the same thing, exercise. But that isn't an option because his body is simply to rigid for him to be able to move much. Just getting him from the wheelchair to the toilet is very difficult. I'm hoping somebody out there has run into this same problem and found something that will help. I feel so helpless.
After years of being an active member of the Parkinson's Disease group here on DailyStrength.org, I stepped back from it when DS changed the format and, eventually, stopped checking e-mail under the e-address I used for this site. I just happened to have a quiet evening at home and, as I'm now cleaning out the In Box of the old e-address, I saw a year-old message from someone from this site and, while here, am checking out the Caregivers Support page where I saw your post from more than three months ago. I hope you are able to read this reply.
I am my mother's caregiver; she has advanced PD and also suffered from painful rigidity. I say "suffered," because she has no pain from it anymore at this late-stage of the disease. The best thing I can suggest is to (1) do warm, wet compresses with washcloths or hand towels, (2) apply lotion to his legs and give your father very gentle massages, and (3) do simple exercises with (for) him by, for example, moving his legs from straight to bend position several times before taking a break and then repeating. These "guided exercises" can be done in bed or in seated position (chair, wheelchair). I recommend doing these steps in this order, but you can also just do No. 1 alone or Nos. 2 and 3 together. I empathize with your difficulty in transferring your father; I know it all too well. That never gets easier, I'm afraid. My e-address is sandharbor3@aol.com if you want to reach me directly; it's easier than maneuvering through this site as it is now laid out!