Expert: Mary Gordon - 2/18/2008

Question
My granny has been battling this disease for 7 years now.  We have a 24/7 caregiver that lives with her and fixes meals, helps with bathing, etc.  Saturday morning, granny's legs just stopped working.  She could not make them locomote at all.  It was like she was standing there bearing weight, but they would not move.  We're in the hospital now and she is being put through all kinds of testing because there is no apparent reason for her legs not to work??  Any experience with this?

Answer
Hi Cory, you don't mention what stage in the disease she's in.

They do lose their ability to walk due to the Alzheimer's alone, because their sense of balance, and their muscular coordination are impacted by the brain damage. You can see signs of that happening when they start to walk in a shuffle, or lean over too far when they are trying to walk.

My mother in law stopped walking after a hip break. It was repaired, and there was nothing mechanically wrong with her legs, but we were not able to get her walking again. She was frightened to be upright (they can't tell how far away the floor is due to perception problems), and no amount of coaxing or therapy would get her on her feet again. In a person in mid to later dementia, therapy can be a lost cause - they will not understand the purpose, can't always follow instructions, and if its painful or scary in any way to a confused mind, they won't cooperate.

Many people with Alzheimer's may also have Parkinson's disease, which will cause what you describe - they get "stuck" or freeze - which is the inability to move as if the feet are glued to the floor. This frequently occurs at a boundary such as a doorway or when exiting a car.

Parkinson's itself is associated with a form of dementia - so I don't know how carefully your gran was originally diagnosed. She may actually have dementia from Parkinson's, or she may have Alzheimer's AND Parkinson's. "Freezing"  is more rarely seen with multi-infarct dementia (which is caused by a series of teeny strokes or blockages, so small they don't show stroke symptoms, but cause an accumulation of brain damage). It is also sometimes seen with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH).

You should get some answers from the hospital - but be prepared for the possibility that they may be able to diagnose the cause, but it may not be something that can be treated properly or reversed in a person with advancing dementia.

Hope this helps.

Mary G.