Is there a negative side? Will the person become dependent on being pushed and stop trying to walk? OT has discharged due to cognitive decline and lack of perceived will (Medicare rules) shows no progress in 4 wks. I feel 90 1/2 year old female can regain strength and walk again with walker. However she is not eating much now and the dining room is a ways to go? Or do we keep serving her in room? what about the socialization AL is all about? Safety is paramount and so is her confidence in not falling. .
If the patient has advanced age and progressive dementia, then the loss of the ability to walk is something that will eventually come about. Can she use a rolling walker? Can she move herself in a regular wheelchair? Have you checked the rules in your state to see how much assistance they can provide her? Apparently, it varies by state.
Many of the dementia patients I have seen in Assisted Living and Memory Care, have the feet removed from the wheelchair. The patient uses their feet to move themselves along, also using their hands on the wheels. This keeps their leg muscles stronger for longer.
It's a tough decision, but with dementia, eventually, she will lose the ability to walk and will need the wheelchair. She shouldn't be isolated because of a mobility problem though.
If this were my loved one, I would want to see her get to the dining room for each meal the safest way she could, which sounds like it would be by wheelchair. And I would also want her to continue to do some walking each day, with assistance, to maintain strength for transferring, if nothing else.
I think most facilities do want their residents to continue walking as long as they can. For one thing, it makes their jobs easier! Combining walking as an exercise and wheelchair use as a mode of transportation is not really so unusual.
Using a wheelchair cheered my husband up considerably. He could get around the house without fearing falling all the time! When his doctors solved the falling problem he was fine with a walker but we still used the wheelchair for long distances and "fast" trips, such as shopping or visiting a museum.
i had a cast on my left lower leg when i was 30 'ish . in only 7 weeks my left lower leg was reduced to the size of my forearm and all muscle had wasted away .
my aunt is in nh , 90 yrs old and late stage dementia . they are right now in the process of getting her the therapy required to rebuild her leg muscles and get her back onto her feet . muscles -- use em or lose em ..
Maybe she can regain strength to use a walker, but maybe not. In any case, getting to the dining room to eat and to interact with others seems pretty critical, in my book. I would get her a comfortable wheelchair. Perhaps she can also have someone walk with her, with a walker and gait belt, for a little while each day -- but not when she needs to get to the dining room on time. (They do those walks at my daughter's ALF.)
It may well be that her needs for assistance will outpace what the ALF can offer, and she will need to transfer to a nursing home. But probably not just because she needs a wheelchair. Talk to the DON at the ALF.
So sorry you have come to this. Expect the phone call soon telling her to move.