Understanding Common Movements in Elderly Adults: Causes & Concerns

Question
my mother has some movements i am curious to know about. she taps her forefingers to her thumbs as well rocks back and forth when standing. she also taps her feet up and down when she stands or sits. if she is driving, she will tap her thumbs up and down on the steering wheel. i have notice that she does this quite frequently and there is no apparent time as in when she is upset and or nervous. she also does not know she is doing these movements most of the time. could you give me some insight as to whether this is a nervous habit or something else? she is 73 years old. thank you for your time.
Connie  

Answer
Hi Connie and thanks for writing,

It's funny you should ask this as I've always wondered why seniors do that too; I've noticed it since my own Grandfather did it when I was a young child.

I do not know the reason so I did a little online research, but I did not find any articles on this topic. I'm sorry I can't share the scientific cause with you, but I can tell you that a lot of seniors do it, and they're not aware of it.

All my best,
Margot