should i be concerned about swollen feet and ankles

SwanLake1974

New member
Feb 17, 2021
2
0
Hi, my dad had to go into a care home last year in May, and he has always been physically fit and done lots of walking. Now however he has swollen feet and ankles, and the feedback i am getting is because he walks a lot, thats why he has swollen feet and ankles (however there is talk about him using a wheelchair in the home) which tbh im concerned about that too as he never had mobility issues prior to going in the home!!! Any help or advice would be appreciated. thanks
 

Lawson58

Registered User
Aug 1, 2014
4,333
0
Victoria, Australia
Hi, my dad had to go into a care home last year in May, and he has always been physically fit and done lots of walking. Now however he has swollen feet and ankles, and the feedback i am getting is because he walks a lot, thats why he has swollen feet and ankles (however there is talk about him using a wheelchair in the home) which tbh im concerned about that too as he never had mobility issues prior to going in the home!!! Any help or advice would be appreciated. thanks
I think I would concerned if I were you. Swollen feet and ankles could be an indication of several things and it depends on whether it is a build up of fluid causing the problem. It coubeld anything from a kidney isuue to heart or circulation. I think it should be checked to make sure. Of course, it might well be related to physical activity but it seems a big jump from walking too much to using a wheelchair.

I hope you get it sorted soon.
 

canary

Registered User
Feb 25, 2014
25,018
0
South coast
Mum used to get swollen feet and ankles and it was, apparently, due to her heart problems. She needed to sit with her feet up to get the swelling down. When she could be persuaded to, it did work, but she too was a wanderer and wouldnt do it. I got her a footstool, but even when she was sat down she wouldnt use it ?

Mobility problems are a normal part of the dementia progression. Mum was mobile when she moved into her care home, but during the time she was there her mobility declined and she needed a wheelchair, so I dont see anything sinister about that.
 

Weasell

Registered User
Oct 21, 2019
1,778
0
My post echos the others.

Have you heard the saying ‘ if you hear hoof beats then think horses not zebra ‘ ?

Well that’s what I am doing and I have come up with heart.

So number one GP to look at the legs with a possible heart specialist referral made.
If it is heart , then don’t raise expectations too high, sometimes treatment is a diuretic ( I learnt that word as , diuretic = makes you pis s) that is very uncouth but effective !
and beta blocker medication.

@canary makes a very good point about the legs. The cure is to raise them when sitting. My concern is that a wheelchair doesn’t elevate legs unless it is a specialist one.

I am thinking perhaps he needs a recliner type specialist chair in the lounge to achieve this. But depending on what stage his dementia is at he may not be able to use a specialist chair.
You may need an OT referral or even advice from the wheelchair service.
 

angelict

Registered User
Jan 16, 2020
154
0
you must insist on a gp ruling out physical causes my mum had a suspected dvt a few weeks ago and it led to an out of hours doctor contacting me advising she had to go to the hospital the next day luckily she was discharged the same day however I then had to request an ECG at the GP surgery they are following up soon with another leg doppler so I will have to wait for the outcome of that appointment. Don't get too stressed about it but definitely push for the gp
 

Shelly99

New member
Jan 22, 2021
9
0
Hi
Hi, my dad had to go into a care home last year in May, and he has always been physically fit and done lots of walking. Now however he has swollen feet and ankles, and the feedback i am getting is because he walks a lot, thats why he has swollen feet and ankles (however there is talk about him using a wheelchair in the home) which tbh im concerned about that too as he never had mobility issues prior to going in the home!!! Any help or advice would be appreciated. thanks
 

Shelly99

New member
Jan 22, 2021
9
0
Hi make sure they get your dad to elevate his feet . If have underfloor heating in the care home I bet that wont help either .I personally would say to them that you want them checking and to phone gp , maybe he could refer your dad to district nurse .My mum had swollen legs and feet .gp referred my to district nurse
 

Cat27

Registered User
Feb 27, 2015
13,057
0
Merseyside
Hi make sure they get your dad to elevate his feet . If have underfloor heating in the care home I bet that wont help either .I personally would say to them that you want them checking and to phone gp , maybe he could refer your dad to district nurse .My mum had swollen legs and feet .gp referred my to district nurse
Welcome to TP @Shelly99
 

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