Finger Exercises

Stand up like soldiers!  Bow down!  Stand up straight!  Bow down!

That's the routine I try to get Mother to do with her left hand.  It is clenched tight most of the time, and getting her to open it and move her fingers is difficult.  The doctor has ordered physical therapy and a brace for her, but so far neither has materialized.  In the meantime, I try to think of ways to move her hand that will help her use those muscles before they totally freeze up.

The first step is getting her to open her hand.  I am not sure how much feeling she has in it because I can tap her left hand and ask her to open it, but it is the right hand that she moves.  Often her left hand is purplish and swollen when I visit.  Once I can get her to open it, I usually place it opened on my knee and gently rub the top of her hand and her wrist.  Sometimes she says it feels good; sometimes she says it hurts.  I will have her flex it gently, and I help her.  Occasionally, the hand smells.  It is susceptible to yeast infection if she always keeps it closed.  I wash her palm and file the nails so that they are very short.

Once she has it opened, she will use it a bit, so we begin with straightening the fingers (soldiers tall) and then bending them at ninety degrees (bow down).  She loves the soldiers tall and will try her best to get them vertical and straight.  Next we press the finger tips of the left and right hand together.  I tell her to make a steeple of her hands.  She smiles and does this, but she likes it best when we do it together, her left hand pressing against mine. To her it is like a tug of war, and she presses her lips together and pushes and tries to push my hand back.  She is strong, and although she has little flexibility, she can push with strength!

I also work on fine motor skills by having her touch each finger to her thumb.  This is difficult for her, and she often uses her right hand to help her. Then I have her slide her thumb down each finger.  This is almost impossible for her to do.   Just in the last month she has lost a great deal of fine motor skill in that hand.

I tried having her squeeze a stress ball, but she wants to eat it and tried to get a big bite out of it.  So no more stress balls.  She can squeeze an aluminum drink can in half, so I am not concerned about her squeezing ability.  I am more concerned that she use her fingers.   

It is one more thing we do to keep her going.  To keep her from slipping away bit by bit.  I know it is a losing battle, but it is one I am willing to fight.  So soldiers tall!