Leaning to one side

Jean1234

Registered User
Mar 19, 2015
259
0
my OH as you know is in a very good care home now. I have a question. I have noticed over the last few weeks that while sitting he leans to one side. Always the left . I at first thought it was when they sat him in the chair using the hoist that it might be because that wasn’t straight. But now he can be moved from the wheelchair to a chair without its use he still leans to one side. I have notice a couple of other residents doing this who are further along than him and use the hoist and wonder if any of you have noticed it with the people you look after?
 

Lady M

Registered User
Sep 15, 2018
298
0
Essex
OMG JeN 1234, I am sitting here OH is asleep and leaning to the left with head at shoulder level!
He has been supplied with a pressure cushion ( virtually immobile now) and he has been said there’s something wrong with the cushion, “it pushing me to one side”. He also says his walking frame is uneven! So he knows he is going to one side! I remember reading somewhere TP perhaps! Can be a sign of constipation.I know this is not the case with OH. This has just got worse as the dementia has worsened.
I to would like to know if there isn’t a medical reason linked to the dementia?
 

Jean1234

Registered User
Mar 19, 2015
259
0
my OH as you know is in a very good care home now. I have a question. I have noticed over the last few weeks that while sitting he leans to one side. Always the left . I at first thought it was when they sat him in the chair using the hoist that it might be because that wasn’t straight. But now he can be moved from the wheelchair to a chair without its use he still leans to one side. I have notice a couple of other residents doing this who are further along than him and use the hoist and wonder if any of you have noticed it with the people you look after?
Hi lady M. I know it is not constipation as the home informed me yesterday that all was ok on that front. I googled it just now and it does seem common with dementia
 

Linbrusco

Registered User
Mar 4, 2013
1,694
0
Auckland...... New Zealand
In my experience with Mum, constipation has never been a cause, its usually sleep deprivation, a new medication, and now she is end stage Alzheimers, where she is sleeping 20+hrs a day, and all her medication has been withdrawn apart from liquid paracetamol and her quetiapine reduced by half, we put it down to dementia.
 

Baggybreeks

Registered User
Mar 22, 2017
80
0
Scotland
My husband used to do this too.
Initially just to the left while he was sitting. I had to prop him up with the back of another chair in case he fell off.
Then it progressed to when he walked. We used to call it his banana walk. His balance also got wobbly so when we went out for a walk I always held his arm.
One time on our way to the Doctors a woman commented on how lovely to see us walking so lovingly, little did she know,yes loving but necessary.
I think that the balance part of the brain is effected by the dementia, I saw others in the care home walking the same. And residents collapsed to the side or forwards.
I used to prop my husband up with a cushion under his arm , even in a chair with side support.
It’s just so sad how the body declines physically , it’s not just the memory and confusion .
 

jenniferjean

Registered User
Apr 2, 2016
925
0
Basingstoke, Hampshire
My husband leans to the left when walking if he has been out for a while. I try to limit his walking but I never know when it's going to start. When it first happened, not long after he'd been diagnosed, I took a photo on my phone and showed it to the doctor. My doctor had obviously not seen this before linked with dementia as she first thought he'd had a stroke which he hadn't.
 

Philbo

Registered User
Feb 28, 2017
853
0
Kent
My wife has tended to lean to the left (her right) since quite early on (diagnosed 5 years ago). I first noticed it in the car, and then when sitting on the sofa. As the dementia has progressed, it has now affected her mobility and posture even more. She stoops forward, shuffles when she walks and I have to lead her up and down the stairs. At only 68, it is really heartbreaking to see.
 

archiebald

Registered User
Jan 12, 2016
44
0
Hi Jean..,my 61 year old hubby who has Alzheimers diagnosed 4 years ago has started to do this while sitting just the past couple weeks and he is not constipated looks like part of the illness
 

Lady M

Registered User
Sep 15, 2018
298
0
Essex
Further to my reply last Saturday 2nd Feb , when I commented OH was asleep and leaning the left as always.
When he was being assisted into bed that same night he mentioned a pain in his left side.
The following day still leaning over to the left when in a sitting position ( in recliner chair and his wheelchair)
Sunday night on being assisted to bed said be careful I have a broken rib?!!!!
Although his breathing is Ok and the carer says no bruising I was wondering , as he has has several falls.
When I said I would speak with Dr usual response from OH was that I and the Gp are colluding to get him ‘put in a home’!
Outcome is his named GP is to visit today.
This will be the first time he has seen OH since last August and before the two hospital admissions, the stoke, his loss of mobility and diagnosis of Mixed Dementia.!
 

Lady M

Registered User
Sep 15, 2018
298
0
Essex
A quick update!
GP did call(yes a home visit!) is sure that OH has pulled a muscle, this is probably due to try to raise up from lying to sitting ( has to use grab rail by bed!)
Could take weeks to improve, so now every move is accompanied by a Ohhh and a ahhhhhh, which didn’t happen before the Dr told him what was wrong.
I am aware muscle pain is terrible but strange it he never Ohhhhed and grimaced prior to being seen by GP!
 

witts1973

Registered User
Jun 20, 2018
731
0
Leamington Spa
My mum leans to the left in ber or when in her chair,I use a v cushion to centralise her and another pillow to her left to offer further support
 

Lady M

Registered User
Sep 15, 2018
298
0
Essex
My mum leans to the left in ber or when in her chair,I use a v cushion to centralise her and another pillow to her left to offer further support
Hi Witts,
I spoke with the DN about a V cushion only today! I shall have to check things out as our D-I -L purchase a rather expensive back cushion that also sort of wraps round( not really a good description) and all this did was push him further forward!
At the moment trying to push a pillow against the side with the muscle problem, but is not helping with the leaning!
Also it was his left that was affected by the stroke.
Will check products on line for best V .
Thanks and glad you found something to help your Mum
Regards.
Lady M
 

BeardyD

Registered User
Jan 19, 2016
89
0
My wife has a strong lean to the right (as I point out to wind up some socialist friends). This was put down to Parkinson's which she has as well as Alzheimer's. It is called Pisa Syndrome. It also occurs with Parkinsonism and other neurological conditions and may even be medication-induced. I don't believe there is any treatment.

Like @Lady M we bought a V-cushion and it just pushed her forward. I removed some stuffing from the back but that didn't help. We now have a very firm cushion about 18" long that I use to keep her upright although she manoeuvres past that regularly. The OT's suggestion was to buy a chair that fitted her more tightly. As I pointed out the riser-recliner chair fitted her well 18 months ago when we bought it, and she was 2 stones heavier and over an inch taller. Apparently there are chairs with replaceable backs which include extra support but I've never seen them.

Hope you find a solution I can "borrow".
 

witts1973

Registered User
Jun 20, 2018
731
0
Leamington Spa
Hi Witts,
I spoke with the DN about a V cushion only today! I shall have to check things out as our D-I -L purchase a rather expensive back cushion that also sort of wraps round( not really a good description) and all this did was push him further forward!
At the moment trying to push a pillow against the side with the muscle problem, but is not helping with the leaning!
Also it was his left that was affected by the stroke.
Will check products on line for best V .
Thanks and glad you found something to help your Mum
Regards.
Lady M
Good luck,it's tricky you can end up buying a few items until you find the one that suits,the v pillow that I got from Amazon is quite plump,I'm not too sure about it yet,sometimes it looks ok and other times not,different carers do things in different ways so mum can be left nicely by some carers and other carers leave her in not such a comfortable state,I have just googled v pillow and the first 3 on my screen where Aldi £9.99,Dunelm mill £16 and one at Asda £10.00 that comes with 2 pillow slips,I'm tempted to buy the Aldi pillow it hasn't got many reviews but they are favourable,it would be just a matter of finding a suitable pillow case for it
 

RosettaT

Registered User
Sep 9, 2018
866
0
Mid Lincs
I'm sure, tho no one has confirmed it, that my OH's lean was due to one of his meds. Since the 2nd hospital took him off it the lean has gone. When he was in the first hospital I would often go to visit him and find him almost falling out of the chair over the arm. I used to prop him up with a pillow.
 

70smand

Registered User
Dec 4, 2011
269
0
Essex
My dad has Alzheimer’s and is no longer mobile but some days he would lean terribly to one side. The care home sent him to hospital with a suspected stroke one day as he was so bad, but it was due to medication, and he is also worse when he has a cold or chest infection. Even low doses of medication made him lean to the side or so far forwards we were worried he would fall out of his chair. As his disease has progressed he has become very sensitive to any medication. He was particularly bad when on trazadone, which was started in order to replace him coming off olanzapine. He is only on memantine and a low dose of sodium valproate for a history of seizures now and only ever leans if he is really tired or unwell.
 

Joyola

Registered User
Jan 17, 2016
4
0
My OH does this, when I mentioned it to the consultant he called itthe Lewy Lean, apparently quite common with some forms of dementia.
 

Linken

Registered User
Nov 3, 2013
11
0
Croydon
My husband also leans to his right. I had assumed it relates to his upper body muscles becoming weak as they get no exercise. I can still take him for walks so his legs are strong but spending most of his time sitting or in bed his upper body gets hardly any exercise. I'll have to look into "the Lewy Lean" and "the Pisa Syndrome".
 

BethRebecca

Registered User
Jan 6, 2013
19
0
76
Somerset
Thank you for this thread, my husband started to do this some weeks ago. He keeps telling me it is his cushion making him do it. Hadn’t realised it was part of the disease
 

marionq

Registered User
Apr 24, 2013
6,449
0
Scotland
When my husband came home from hospital last week he had a real slump to the left and my daughter was quite alarmed. I had read about it on TP so waited a few days. As he has gradually returned to something near normal for him the slump has gone.
 

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