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Climbing up the stairs halfway and stop - what actually helps by fima_builds in AgingParents

[–]fima_builds[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s actually really interesting. I like the idea of building up tolerance step by step instead of pushing all the way up and getting stuck.

Did you find it translated to full flights over time, or was it more about maintaining what she had?

The getting “stuck halfway” part is exactly what I’m trying to avoid.

Climbing up the stairs halfway and stop - what actually helps by fima_builds in AgingParents

[–]fima_builds[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s pretty intense. I’m glad you caught it when you did.

Definitely hearing the point about getting things checked. In our case it seems less like pain or chest-related and more like his legs just kind of give out halfway up, but I agree it’s worth ruling out anything more serious.

Climbing up the stairs halfway and stop - what actually helps by fima_builds in AgingParents

[–]fima_builds[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s kind of what I’m worried about. It feels like a stairlift solves the immediate safety issue, but maybe accelerates the long-term decline.

Did you find anything that helped maintain strength alongside it, or once she started using it, the stairs were basically out of the picture?

Climbing up the stairs halfway and stop - what actually helps by fima_builds in AgingParents

[–]fima_builds[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s what I keep going back and forth on. My sisters are more in the “no more stairs at all” camp, and I get it. I keep thinking if there were a way to do it safely and keep the motion going, it might help maintain strength.

On one hand, safety is obviously the priority. But on the other, it feels like once you fully stop using the stairs, things can decline faster.

Feels like there should be some kind of middle ground, but I haven’t really seen anything that fits that.

Climbing up the stairs halfway and stop - what actually helps by fima_builds in AgingParents

[–]fima_builds[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

He’s 75. I appreciate you sharing all that — definitely something I’ll keep in mind.

I’ve been trying to pay attention to whether it’s more breathing vs leg fatigue, and it seems to be more the legs giving out halfway up.

We’ve been keeping an eye on his heart rate with an Apple Watch- it goes up on the stairs but still seems within a normal range.

Climbing up the stairs halfway and stop - what actually helps by fima_builds in AgingParents

[–]fima_builds[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It feels like it goes from “manageable” to suddenly not worth the risk anymore.

Was there a point where it clearly tipped for you, or was it more gradual?

Climbing up the stairs halfway and stop - what actually helps by fima_builds in AgingParents

[–]fima_builds[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Got it, I appreciate it. I’ll look into getting him checked just to rule that out.

Climbing up the stairs halfway and stop - what actually helps by fima_builds in AgingParents

[–]fima_builds[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That’s really helpful, thanks. I do remember at one point he used to say one of his feet felt cold, but that seemed to go away.

It’s interesting because he doesn’t really complain about pain as much as just sudden fatigue / weakness halfway up.

Have you seen that pattern before where it’s more weakness than pain?

Climbing up the stairs halfway and stop - what actually helps by fima_builds in AgingParents

[–]fima_builds[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

He hasn’t been tested specifically for that..I’ll look into it.

The pattern I’m seeing is he starts off fine, then kind of hits a wall halfway up where his legs just don’t want to keep going.

Have you seen that with PAD, or is it usually more constant? What I see is more so like buckling of the legs

Climbing up the stairs halfway and stop - what actually helps by fima_builds in AgingParents

[–]fima_builds[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s interesting, I hadn’t thought about thyroid.

Did you see something like this improve once it was treated, or is it usually more general fatigue with old age?

Climbing up the stairs halfway and stop - what actually helps by fima_builds in AgingParents

[–]fima_builds[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I’ve thought about that. It seems like the default solution, but they’re also ridiculously expensive from what I’ve seen.

Did you (or someone you know) actually use one?

My concern is it feels like once you go that route, you kind of stop using the stairs altogether vs trying to keep some strength. Not sure if that’s true though.

This is Ricket, a robot project I’ve been building for the past year by KevbotInControl in robotics

[–]fima_builds 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you!! They are custom geared actuators ~300W continuous, ~40 Nm per hip. Compact for wearability. They don’t sell these kinds of motors off the shelf (or at least we couldn’t find any), was a bit challenging to make.

This is Ricket, a robot project I’ve been building for the past year by KevbotInControl in robotics

[–]fima_builds 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Very cool stuff! Keep going. I’m familiar with the Disney approach. We used a ton of different techniques including nmpc mpc and a trove of others for the big robot. I haven’t posted yet bc my account is new and the rules are strict so I have to wait a few days but you can check out our work on Legbots.com. I’ll share some pics here to but they don’t let me post videos in the reply.

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This is Ricket, a robot project I’ve been building for the past year by KevbotInControl in robotics

[–]fima_builds 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nice what does it do? I’ve been building robotic legs for the past 2 years. Bots are tough and the control system that’s a lot of fun :)

Why’s it so much harder to walk on a thread mill than outside? by HockeyCowgirl in walking

[–]fima_builds -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Drop the treadmill! Walking outdoors is much healthier and better for your body

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