How can I transport an old person up the stairs?
I'm sorry, but if you're Grandmother cannot climb nine steps, and there is no elevator, then your Grandmother cannot safely visit you in your apartment.The operative word there is safely.Oh, there are ways to get her up and down the stairs- you can use a fireman's carry, a two-person hands-on assist, she can sit on the stairs and lift herself up and down each stair, maybe you can get one of those AmeriGlide Accessibility Solutions - Home & Commercial Applications chair lifts- doubtful because the apartment owners aren't going to want to bear financial liability for that- but, in the end, none of these options is really safe. Someone will likely get hurt.If you are in the United States, and possibly Canada, there may be a way to force the apartment owner to make the apartment "accessible" through the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 but it's not going to win you any friends, and will probably take up the rest of your Grandmother's life because you'll be in Court a long, long time.So, I encourage you to make the best of this situations with meetings elsewhere- the park, the zoo, a coffee shop, her place, the Mall, your folks' house- and teach her how to use the computer, then Skype and exchange pics and vids. It's the only way to do this safely.
Why do seniors and older people have difficulty with stairs?
Many seniors and old people don’t have difficulty using stairs. Some of us DO have problems.I can walk up several flights of stairs with no problem. If you ask me to walk DOWN the stairs, I have a huge problem. I lose my balance easily. I have MSA. MSA makes your body feel as if cement has been poured inside it and allowed to harden.Other senior citizens I know have health problems One friend has emphysema. He has trouble walking five steps and would never TRY to use stairs. Another friend has hip problems and uses a walker.I know a 76 year old man who runs marathons. He sprints upstairs.Never assume all seniors are suffering. Many folks my age are in great shape and might have more endurance than some younger folks.Many seniors walk miles a day and strength train at the gym.I walk 90 minutes a day and sometimes for two hours. I walk up stairs every day and hold on to a handrail walking down stairs.Trust me when I say I’m nothing special.
Do people with very large feet have problems on staircases?
I don’t know if my feet length of 30 centimetres is just large, or very large, but the only problems I run into on staircases are more related to my length of 196 centimetres and injuries to my feet and ankles, than to my shoe size.My feet usually find enough support to get up any staircase pretty quickly without any problems, but I have bumped my head on signs, ceilings and pipes in staircases more than once.For somebody with large feet and back-, hip-, knee- or ankle-issues, any difficulty with staircases would sooner be te the result of those problems than of their shoe size.When my feet hurt (mostly because of temperature changes) in the places where I have had injuries, my large feet are usually not what causes me to have trouble getting up the stairs or just walking on a level surface.
If stairs really are that much harder for older people to use why don't we do away with them?
Elevators are expensive. People want to have larger homes, so they build multi-story homes on smaller plots of land. Homes with stairs work well enough, usually, for younger families.Many homes intended for older people are built on one story.My parents are moving from a house that requires they use stairs every day to one that has all the rooms on the same level.(Of course, in many parts of the world, people live in very tall apartment buildings which have to have elevators, and then the “stair” question becomes moot, as long as there is electricity to run the elevators.)
Seniors over 55 that exercise, have you used a stair stepper successfully?
I think an elliptical machine or staionary bike would be much easier for your joints, swimming is also a great idea. I have had a serious knee problem since I was 12 years old.I am now 55 and have been attending every sort of exercise class for the last 30 years, my husband thinks I should just move to the gym,I am there so much. My doctors in the past have told me not to use a step, too much strain on the joints,I used to attend the step classes until I ripped something behind my knee.Much therapy and streching to get back to normal. If you do get a staionary bike, check with yor doctor before you buy one, some have you sit at different angles which could also be a strain. You might get something out of a basic, simple yoga class, there are several people in my classes that have had hip replacements and are doing fine in yoga.Of course you may want to wait until you can sit and stand for awhile. In a basic yoga class, one for seniors, they should help you out with props for sitting or use of a chair for balance, there are many levels and styles of yoga, not every class is geared just for the advanced student. Maybe walking in place with your hand weights could be a good way to start out.
Can a 70-year-old person use stairs instead of a lift? Is it beneficial for him?
I can’t speak for all 70 year olds, but I have lived my life taking stairs and continue to do so at 71. If there is a railing, and there usually is, I keep it within grabbing distance. There are places I visit, Berlin for instance, where you need to climb stairs to use most S-bah s, so it makes sense to continue to keep myself in stair climbing condition. If the climb is more than three stories and there is a convenient elevator or escalator, I will take the free ride. When I stay in hotels, I often take the staircase. At home, I have no choice.Immobility is a greater concern to me than risking taking stairs.
My dog suddenly won't climb down stairs and is moving slowly, what is wrong?
Three things come to my mind: Hip dysplasia, arthritis, or spinal problems. Here's something you can try: while your dog is standing, pick up his back foot and try putting it down upside-down (so the toes are curled under). Do this on all his feet in turn. If he doesn't try to quickly put it back in the right position, then you are probably looking at spinal problems, and want to limit the dog's movements as much as possible until you can get to the vet. And you may want to move the appointment up. If he does right his feet (that's a test of proprioception, btw, if you want to look it up on line), then it's likely to be either hip dysplasia or arthritis. Or possibly a problem with a ligament.