Hi Roisin, Just read about your mums fall. Was she going from Kneeling to standing? Im not sure in the post?Maybe it wasnt weakness in her legs but weakness in general or her arms or back. My mums weakness started in her hands, they were worst affected. Her speech was slurred in the last few months, but we could understand her, sometimes it was difficult for others and sometimes her friends would have to call me to see what she said, as I could understand her a little better. Her legs became weak and she had a few scary falls, but she still insisted on walking, she said the day she stopped walking was the day she would never leave the house again, she told me that this would depress her so much it would kill her, and so we continued to walk around the house, using me as her walker, and used the wheelchair when we left the house. Some mornings I would practically be carrying her to the bathroom, but she thought she was doing it herself and made her feel a little independent.
As you know my mum didnt want to move her bedroom downstairs, she said the day her bed was downstairs she would never get up again, she said she never wanted morphine either. On the day she died, she was in her own bed upstairs. The builders had been there for 4 weeks doing her bathroom and bedroom downstairs, they only had 2 days left and it would be finished, she never seen it. She had said she never wanted morphine, and in the hours of her passing the nurse had suggested the morphine, we waited as she gave her a relaxer instead, hours later we were about to attach the drip of morphine when my mother passed. The hospice nurse said she never seen anybody go so peacefully and without it. I just thought, well thats my mother, "stubborn to the end" She got to do everything her way, even when we were about to change it on her.Im glad of that now.
What im trying to say is, if she wants to walk and fall, let her.
If she wants to eat and choke, let her. Dignity and independence means so much to Mothers in general, but with this disease its so important. My thoughts are always with you.