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Cerebral Palsy Community
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Cerebral Palsey
by 1bstaley, May 30, 2008 12:02PM
I care for a lady that is 55 in a nursing home with Cerebral Palsey. Ann up to a week ago was cheerful and would do needle work all day. Some time Ann would call me several times a day and when I went to go see her she always wanted me to bring her something from McDonalds, Burger King or somewhere.
Now she is not wanting to eat, she's not calling and she is very quiet. Ann only has me and I am only a friend who is her power of attorney. I love Ann and I want to be here for her in any way I can! Are there different phases that she will be going through as she gets older that I need to be aware of and how can I find out about them?
With God as my guide and my strength I need help to be strong for her.
Now she is not wanting to eat, she's not calling and she is very quiet. Ann only has me and I am only a friend who is her power of attorney. I love Ann and I want to be here for her in any way I can! Are there different phases that she will be going through as she gets older that I need to be aware of and how can I find out about them?
With God as my guide and my strength I need help to be strong for her.
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How are you? How is Ann? She is indeed very lucky to have a very caring friend in you.
Cerebral palsy is a group of disorders that affect a person's ability to move and to maintain balance and posture. There is no cure for cerebral palsy, but treatment can improve the lives of those who have it. Treatment includes medicines, braces, and physical, occupational and speech therapy.
There are a just a few literature about cerebral palsy and aging, though all are stressing the problems of secondary disability that arise from the altered movement patterns that the person with CP must employ to function in daily activities. This may include: osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, increased falls, and fatigue, increase in involuntary movement, greater difficulty in performing daily activities, joint and muscle pain, incontinence, loss of stamina, depression and general loss of mobility. Medical problems that worsen with aging can bring pulmonary changes that impair breath control which in turn can make speech nearly inaudible. Older adults may also experience difficulties in the "motor" production of words and sentences. Speech can also diminish because the individual simply doesn't hear others; poor hearing is not uncommon among this age group. There are tips for coping and managing aging and CP. You can find these at this link: http://www.geocities.com/aneecp/tips4age.htm
There are also some websites that deal with Aging and CP. You may find this helpful as well as a source of support group. An example is this: http://www.geocities.com/tokyo/7970/cpage.htm
I hope this helps. Take care and regards. Please keep us posted.