My father was diagnosed with Alzheimers 3 years ago at the age of 67. He has progressed very fast. He is exhibiting moderate to late stages of the disease. We had to place him in a nursing home Alzheimers unit 4 weeks ago. He was beginning to become more angry and would hit and shove my mother and daughter. At the end of his 3rd week he has started to severly lean to his right side. He has parkinson's. He has severe arthritis to his Left shoulder. He had his Right shoulder replaced 2 yrs ago. He recieves pain medication for shoulder and this does not seem to lessen his leaning. Of coarse he will lean to the right side when sitting too.
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Q: Is it common for an Alzheimer patient to lean to one side while walking or standing?
Answers (3)
5/ 8/10 3:24pm
Dear Karen
I am so sorry to hear about your father. Unfortunately aggression is a common cause of placement in a nursing home for people with Alzheimer's. Even though it is a difficult decision I am sure it is the best thing for all of you. It is very hard.
Leaning to the left side can be due to a number of different medical diseases and conditions. It is quite common in people with various neurological illnesses, one of which is Alzheimer's and/or Parkinson's disease. It is also seen in people who are very ill and weak, people who have severe arthritis and because of pain.
Presumably his doctor has examined him and has ordered the best treatment for your father.
I hope this is helpful. All my best wishes at this difficult time
Christine
5/ 7/10 1:02am
Hi Karen, My mother has "unspecified dementia" (probably "vascular dementia" due to a stroke), and as the illness progressed, her walking became more difficult, she had many falls using her walker and developed the lean that you mentioned. Her latest issues involve difficulty holding her head up and trouble swallowing food or pills. Remarkably, she still has some degree of clarity in speaking although she is obviously confused. Finding the right words to form a sentence has become a challenge for her, too.
I have witnessed the leaning issue in others with dementia and I consider it a common later symptom of the illness. As far as I know, there is nothing that can be done to correct the problem. My mother isn't even aware that she is leaning. I'm sure that other answers will follow. I hope this helps! -- Joe --
5/12/10 3:44pm
Hi, Karen,
My mom also increasingly leaned to one side as her Alzheimer's progressed. I also saw several other nursing home residents who had dementia who leaned over in their wheelchairs. I'm assuming that it was a combination of the disease affecting their balance and potential muscle weakness caused by inactivity.
Take care and stay in touch!
Dorian
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By Karen— Last Modified: 10/26/11, First Published: 05/06/10
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