Extremely high arched foot

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Hello,
Our family has a progressive, neurodegenerative disorder (most likely a type of SpinoCerebellar Ataxia -- genetic testing is currently underway). Unfortunately, my mother's high foot arches have progressed to the point where her foot is actually what I refer to as 'convex,' in the sense that her toes nearly touch her heel (yuck!). She also has some kind of ankle problem -- it's like her leg and foot aren't together as one unit anymore (her leg goes straight down, whereas her foot has shifted to the right). She has a huge swelling on her ankle bone, though I can't tell if it's the actual bone itself or some kind of growth/inflammation? She has been in a wheelchair for over 14 years, and she is having more and more difficulty with transferring to the toilet (mostly keeping her balance and being able to straighten out her foot in order to do so successfully). Anyway, according to the orthopaedic specialist to which she was referred, "there is nothing that can be done." Is this valid? Are there any preventative exercises, such as massaging, that may help my brother and me from developing this severity?


I would greatly appreciate any comments and/or suggestions.

Thanks,
Christina