Your senior is having trouble getting out of a chair due to common age-related declines in muscle strength (especially legs/glutes), balance issues, stiffness (hamstrings, knees, hips), poor flexibility, or underlying conditions like arthritis or neurological issues, sometimes compounded by fear of falling or improper technique, all reducing their ability to shift weight and push up effectively.
Age-related loss of muscle power, decreased balance and sensation, joint pain, cardiovascular deconditioning, and environmental factors combine to make sit-to-stand harder.
This refers to a situation where someone has trouble getting up from a chair or another seated position, which can be due to causes such as leg weakness, back stiffness, and poor balance.
Tight Muscles: Tightness in the hip flexors, hamstrings, and calf muscles can restrict your range of motion, making it harder to rise from a chair.
Understanding the Problem
The main muscles at work when transitioning from a seated to a standing position include your legs, hips, core, and some upper body muscles, which help stabilize and propel you from your chair upward, lower you into a chair, and support your frame.
An ADHD chair, or ADHD-friendly chair, is a type of seating designed to support individuals with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder by allowing for dynamic movement, promoting better focus, and reducing restlessness through features like rocking, swiveling, kneeling pads, or space for various sitting positions (e.g., cross-legged). Unlike traditional chairs, these chairs cater to the need for sensory input and physical activity, helping users stay attentive and comfortable while working or studying.
Tip: Seat assists are electric, mechanical, or gas-assisted cushions that help the user safely lower and rise in or out of most chairs. For best results, we recommend they be used on chairs with firmer seating surfaces.
Specially designed dementia chairs provide stability, postural support, and a calming sense of security. The new Atlanta 2™ dementia chair from Seating Matters is clinically designed for people living with dementia. Its cocoon-like shape delivers calming sensory feedback, helping to reduce slips, falls, and agitation.
The #1 mistake making bad knees worse is excessive rest or inactivity, which weakens supporting muscles, leading to stiffness and instability, creating a vicious cycle of pain and dysfunction, even though it feels counterintuitive; the solution involves controlled movement and strengthening exercises (like walking, swimming) to support the joint. Other major mistakes include wearing unsupportive shoes, carrying excess weight, and performing movements that involve twisting.
Gradual loss of mobility is natural in older adults due to factors like muscle weakness and loss (sarcopenia), joint conditions like arthritis, reduced vision, and more. In fact, around one third of 70 year olds say they have restricted mobility at home.
Sitting squashes the life out of muscles that help give you hip extension (standing). These are the muscles on your back side. The glutes, the hamstrings, and the deep hip rotators all get squashed while you sit.
Lifting From a Chair
Stand in front of the chair with one foot slightly ahead of the other for stability. Place one arm around the person's torso and have them clasp their hands together over your arm. Bend at the knees and lift with your legs, keeping your back as straight as possible.
If the question “Why do I have trouble walking after sitting?” has crossed your mind, you're not alone. Common culprits include muscle tightness, reduced circulation, hip and knee stiffness, numb feet, and weak glutes, all of which can make standing up feel harder than it should.
The truth is that you can build leg strength safely at any age. You do not need hard workouts or special equipment. Simple leg strengthening exercises for seniors can help you move better, stay steady, and keep your independence. This article explains how to start safely using easy exercises you can do at home.
Muscle power also declines with aging. Power is the product of both the strength and speed of a muscle. The loss of power of limb muscles is often greater than the loss of maximal strength alone because leg muscles also become slower with aging, in addition to the decreases in strength.
Chair Exercise #1: Shoulder Rotation
Sit tall in a chair with your feet flat on the floor. Extend both arms straight out to your sides so they're level with your shoulders, palms facing down. Bend your elbows 90 degrees so your fingers point straight ahead, palms still facing the floor.
Two essential requirements for older people suffering from mobility issues: Availability of assistive devices like walkers, wheelchairs. Adequate physical support from family members or caregivers.
While some people have difficulty getting off the floor because of medical conditions such as vertigo, postural hypotension, prior injuries and/or arthritis, the majority of people who are unable to stand up have age-related deficits in hip and/or core strength that can be corrected with appropriate exercises.
The term "sundowning" refers to a state of confusion that occurs in the late afternoon and lasts into the night. Sundowning can cause various behaviors, such as confusion, anxiety, aggression or ignoring directions. Sundowning also can lead to pacing or wandering. Sundowning isn't a disease.