My parent struggles to get up from a chair. What can we do?

If your parent struggles to stand up from a chair, they are not alone, and it is worth moving more and checking the reasons now. Standing up uses the large muscles of the thighs and buttocks, and England's NHS lists muscles getting weaker with age as one cause of falls. Thai studies show how common this is: a 2024 review of 17 Thai studies found that 17.3% of older people living at home had low muscle mass together with a weak grip or slow movement. The US CDC recommends its chair rise exercise to work the muscles of the thighs and buttocks. Other things families can do are to keep strength and balance exercises going at least twice a week, as England's NHS advises, move more through the day, check for pain, dizziness and medicines, and see a doctor if standing up keeps getting harder.

This article is about getting up from a chair. If your parent is worried about falling, see My older parent is afraid of falling. How can we help? For knee pain on stairs, see Knees hurt on stairs at 50? How should you look after them?

Why does my parent find it hard to stand up from a chair?

Standing up looks simple, but it asks a lot of the body: the thighs and buttocks push the body up, the knees and hips bend and straighten under load, and balance has to hold while the body moves forward over the feet. When one of these gets harder, the whole movement gets harder.

Leg muscles get weaker with age

The NHS names muscles getting weaker as you get older as one cause of falls, and the US CDC lists lower body weakness among the risk factors for falling in older adults. Weak thighs may be noticed, for example, when getting up from a low sofa or the toilet becomes harder.

Pain in the knees or hips

If bending the knee hurts, many people avoid the movement, push up mostly with their arms or rock several times before they can rise. Pain is worth mentioning to a doctor rather than putting up with it.

Feeling dizzy when getting up

Some older people feel light-headed for a moment after standing up. That is a reason to stand up slowly and to tell a doctor, especially if it happens often.

Medicines

The NHS lists side effects of some medicines among the causes of falls, and advises speaking to a GP or pharmacist if you think medicines could be affecting your balance. If your parent takes several medicines, including ones bought without a prescription, take them all to that appointment.

Sitting most of the day

The CDC notes that many people who fall become afraid of falling and cut down on everyday activities, and that being less active makes them weaker, which raises the chance of falling. A parent who sits for most of the day, or whom the family always helps up, can get caught in this loop.

How common are weak muscles among older Thai people?

Thai researchers have measured muscle mass, grip strength and walking or standing-up speed in thousands of older people. The studies below counted people who had low muscle mass together with a weak grip or slow movement, using the definitions the researchers set.

What Thai studies found

What these numbers can and cannot tell us

These studies looked at people at one point in time. They show that weak legs and slow movement are common among older Thai people and that more active people tended to do better on the tests, but they do not prove that one thing causes the other. The groups also differ: one study was in Bangkok, one pooled earlier studies and one included only healthy older people living at home. Still, the results point the same way: around 1 in 5 older people living at home met the researchers' definition of low muscle mass with a weak grip or slow movement, so a parent who struggles to stand up is far from unusual.

What exercises can my parent do at home?

The chair rise

The US CDC recommends the chair rise exercise to strengthen the thighs and buttocks:

1. Sit towards the front of a sturdy chair, knees bent, feet flat on the floor and shoulder-width apart.
2. Rest your hands lightly on the seat on either side, with your back and neck straight and chest slightly forward.
3. Breathe in, lean forward and feel your weight on the front of your feet.
4. Breathe out and stand up slowly, using your hands as little as possible.
5. Pause for a full breath in and out.
6. Breathe in as you sit down slowly. Do not drop back into the chair; control the lowering.

The CDC suggests 10 to 15 times, a minute's rest, then a final set of 10 to 15. If that is too hard at first, start with fewer and build up. The goal is to stand up without using the hands as your parent gets stronger.

Strength and balance twice a week

England's NHS has a set of strength exercises that can be done at home, including a sit-to-stand: aim for 5, and the slower the better. It advises a solid chair without wheels that will not slip, feet flat on the floor, and doing the routine at least twice a week. The NHS balance exercises, such as the heel-to-toe walk and standing on one leg with fingertips on a wall, are best done near a wall or a stable chair in case your parent loses balance.

How much to move in a week

The NHS physical activity guidelines for older adults also advise speaking to a doctor first if your parent has not exercised for some time or has health concerns. In the Thai step-count study, the authors, based on this one-time survey, suggested 6,000 to 9,000 steps a day as a target that seemed realistic for older adults; it is not an official guideline. Walks to the market, the temple or around the village all count.

How can we make standing up easier and safer at home?

Use steady furniture

For its chair exercises, the NHS advises a solid, stable chair without wheels that will not slip on the floor, low enough that the feet rest flat on the floor. The same kind of chair is a sensible choice for everyday sitting. The CDC's home safety checklist suggests grab bars next to the toilet, and next to and inside the bath or shower, for anyone who needs support getting up.

Stand up the same way as the exercise

The steps of the chair rise also work in daily life: move to the front of the seat, lean forward until the weight is on the front of the feet, then stand up slowly. Pausing for a full breath once standing, as the CDC's exercise does, gives time to steady before walking off.

Shoes and clear paths

The NHS advises shoes or slippers that fit well, do not slip off and have a good grip, and not having clutter or things you could trip on, such as loose wires or rugs. The CDC's home checklist also suggests keeping the floor clear of papers, shoes and other objects. This matters for the first steps after standing up.

How can family help without doing everything for them?

It is natural to pull a parent up or bring everything to their chair. But the CDC's point about the loop of fear, less activity and weakness applies here: the less your parent stands up, the harder it gets. Some ideas:

• Let them stand up on their own when it is safe, and stay close rather than lifting.
• Do the chair rise together while watching TV, for example during the advertisement breaks.
• Ask them to get up to make a cup of tea or a drink, or to move around the home, which the NHS gives as examples of light activity.
• Walk together after meals or in the cooler hours.
• Notice changes over weeks: is it taking more tries to get up, or are they using their arms more?

For more on daily routines for older parents, see My older parents often feel unwell. What can we do each day? If night-time trips to the bathroom are the worry, see Older parents waking up at night: how can family help?

When should we take our parent to see a doctor?

See a doctor if your parent:

• is finding it harder to stand up or walk over a few weeks or months
• feels dizzy, light-headed or unsteady when getting up
• has knee or hip pain that stops them standing up or walking
• has had a fall, or you are worried about their balance or getting around (the NHS advises seeing a GP in both cases)
• takes regular medicines and has become sleepier or less steady: the NHS advises speaking to a GP or pharmacist if medicines could be affecting balance; do not stop or change them on your own

At an appointment, the NHS says a doctor may check balance by asking your parent to get up and move around.

Call 1669 straight away if your parent has fallen and may have hurt their head, neck, back or hip, or cannot get up. The NHS advises not trying to lift someone yourself, but keeping them comfortable and warm and helping them up carefully only if they can do it.