balance Archives - Alzheimers Support

Vitamin D deficiency and Mobility Issues

Vitamin D deficiency may lead to mobility issues as Vitamin D is need to keep healthy bones as well as a strong Cardio Vascular system .

Older people with lowest vitamin D levels are 1.7 times more likely to have at least one physical limitation than those with the highest levels. Not getting enough vitamin D may lead to problems with completing everyday tasks later in life.

I know from personal experience how important Vitamin D can be. While hospitalized a couple years ago, my levels of Vitamin D were almost nil. My own problem wasn’t from lack of sunshine but a COPD exacerbation. Though I was given injections of replacement Vitamin D, I still required rehab to be able to walk easily and keep my balance steadily.

This article discusses other consequences from low levels of Vitamin D and says, “Seniors who have low levels of vitamin D are more likely to have mobility limitations and to see their physical functioning decline over time.”

Lead author Evelien Sohl, a researcher with VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, said in a press release, “Older individuals with these limitations are more likely to be admitted to nursing homes and face a higher risk of mortality.”

“One of the reasons we’re so vitamin D deficient is we’re avoiding the sun and wearing sun screen,” Phillips added. “That’s great for skin cancer prevention, not such good news for our vitamin D levels.”

Dr. Michael Holick, a professor of medicine, physiology and biophysics at Boston University School of Medicine, said that this study showed there was a necessity to look further into whether taking supplements could help with vitamin D deficiencies. He was not involved in the study.

The National Institutes of Health’s Office of Dietary Supplements recommends adults 51 to 70 years old get 600 IUs of vitamin D each day and those 70 and older get 800 IUs daily. See on www.cbsnews.com

Make certain that your loved one takes frequent walks outside and receives a good daily dose of Vitamin D.

To learn even more about Vitamin D check this article: 15 Benefits from Vitamin D

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Depth Perception and dementia

Many people with Alzheimer’s dementia are unsteady on their feet. Issues with Depth Perception is a common problem. Traveling by Walker or Rollator while they walk gives them a sense of security when they’re otherwise unsteady on their feet.

The stress of walking through a park or shopping center for only a short while, often leaves someone with Alzheimer’s fatigued because their thoughts are compounded with other issues. Often, Alzheimer’s is also accompanied by Parkinson disease which leaves the patient unsteady on their feet.

Those with Alzheimer’s and Dementia can suffer from depth perception as well, which leaves them fearful of walking. They become unsteady on their feet and walk with a shuffling gate, pushing their feet forward rather than picking them up. Because Mom had issues with depth perception, she would hold my arm in a vise-like grip whenever we went for walks. She needed the comfort and security of a walker even though she had no disability and was perfectly capable of walking.

My Mom also suffered debilitating bouts of vertigo. This made it even more important that she have something to help balance herself, especially in case of a fall. At first, Mom absolutely refused to use a walker. She thought it tagged her as disabled and she would never admit to any sort of disability.

Even when we could coax Mom to use the walker, she would forget she had dizzy spells unless she was in the grip of one. Later in her illness when she lived at the Group Home, most of her friends used walkers or rollators. They preferred the steady reassurance and Mom finally consented to a rolling walker of her own. It was a relief to me because the alternative seemed a serious fall and possible broken bones.

Most of the ladies preferred the Rollator or Rolling Walker with a seat and basket. The ladies carried purses, toys and assorted toiletries in the basket while the staff created brightly colored name tags for each one.

It was common to find these ladies in the Group Home, assisted by the sweet nursing staff, decorating their walkers with ribbons and bows and flowers to coordinate with the current holiday. Despite their memory issues, there was never confusion about which walker belonged to whom, nor the season of the year as their rolling walkers shouted a brightly painted name tag and Bow for every holiday.

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A few Mobility Aids

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