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Home  >  Blog   >   June 2018   >   Tips for Preparing Your Parent's Home for Recovery After Hip Surgery

Tips for Preparing Your Parent's Home for Recovery After Hip Surgery

Posted: 6/13/2018 9:13 AM by Interim HealthCare
Hip surgery is one of the most common forms of surgery performed on older adults. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 300,000 of these surgeries are performed on people over the age of 45 in the United States each year, with the majority occurring among elderly adults. This type of surgery can make a tremendous difference for a senior who has suffered a fractured hip, or who is dealing with the effects of arthritis, wear and tear, past trauma, or other serious issues. Hip replacement can ease pain, increase mobility and range of motion, improve balance, and reduce fall risk. This type of surgery is extensive, however, and brings with it an often long and difficult recovery period. It is important to take steps to prepare your aging parent for this recovery before they even undergo this surgery, and an important element of this is preparing their home. This gives them a healing, safe environment to return to where they can continue their recovery after leaving the hospital and rehabilitation center.

Use these tips to prepare your parent's home for recovery after hip surgery:
  • Make them a place to rest and sleep downstairs. Climbing stairs will not be something your parent can do in the beginning part of their recovery. Not only will it be too difficult for them, but it can also lead to damage to the surgical area. Bringing their bed downstairs or renting a hospital bed for them to use during their recovery.
  • Prepare meals for during their recovery. Cooking will be challenging for your parent during this time. They may not be able to stand up for long periods and may be too tired to cook. Reduce this strain, and ensure they get the nutrients they need, by preparing healthy meals and freezing them so your parent can thaw and warm them to eat during their recovery.
  • Clean thoroughly. Before your parent returns home, clean the house thoroughly, or have a company deep-clean the house. This will help to create a healthier environment and prepare for a germ control approach that will help keep your parent healthier throughout their recovery.
  • Equip for handling care needs. Think about all of your parent's personal care needs and equip the home to handle them. For example, adding handrails and grab bars throughout the home to address mobility issues and increase balance, putting a shower bench into the bathroom, replacing the shower head with a handheld version, and considering a toilet chair for the bedroom at night.
  • Provide for communication. While having you and a home care provider in the home with your parent is preferable to them being alone during their recovery, if your parent is alone at any point, you want to make sure they have the ability to communicate with someone who can help if they need it. If they fall or experience another problem, they need to be able to reach out for help as quickly and effectively as possible. Installing emergency response systems or having your parent wear a pendant is an important step in giving them this source of communication. 

If your aging parent must undergo surgery for a broken hip or has recently undergone such surgery, starting home care for them can be one of the best decisions that you can make. Recovery from a hip fracture, and from subsequent surgery to treat the fracture, can be long and arduous, and your parent will require a considerable amount of care, support, and assistance throughout this time. An in-home senior care services provider can step in to provide your aging parent with a highly personalized approach to their care. This care will be tailored to not only helping them to manage the tasks of recovering from their surgery, but also moving forward in a lifestyle that is healthy, safe, active, and fulfilling. As a family caregiver, knowing that your aging parent is in the hands of a home care provider can be tremendously meaningful and help you to feel more confident that even when you are not able to be with them, they will have everything that they need to handle their recovery and this new chapter in their life in the best way possible.

Learn more about home care services for joint replacement.

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