Advice on DM's care after hip fracture

[hereyago]

Hi
In June, my DM 75 broke her hip.

So she got through surgery and was into a rehab a couple days after surgery. She wil be coming home on MOnday.

Anyway, i know the certain things she can't do because the pins and rod are still in there. i have a bath/shower chair with handles and bought a cloth on a stick type thing so she can wash herself without having to bend way over or twisting her body.

she will have pt and ot 3 times a week for a few weeks after coming home. i am going to work with her as well. i bought a basket for her walker and those little glide things for the back of the walker.
i have rearranged the fridge shelves to make it easier for her to get certain things.
Have you or a person you know fractured their hip and if so: what other things can I do to help her transition back to home life? TIA

[mariolatry]

It sounds like she'll have hip precautions in place for awhile; did they tell you no bending more than 90 degrees, no crossing her legs, no pigeon-toes? It depends if they've specifically said that she CAN'T do it, versus just recommending against it to make her life easier.

If she's not supposed to make these movements, make sure whatever chairs she'll be sitting in are firm and high enough for her to get up from easily. Put a tray with the remote control, the phone, whatever else she might need next to it. Low, squishy sofas almost guarantee that she'll have to bend over to hurtle herself back into a standing position. Check out her bed height too. Low beds are easier to get her legs in and out of but harder to stand up from..

Also, sometimes people need a toilet seat riser. They make donuts that just slip right through the toilet seat so that it's 3-4 inches higher. They even make them with arms attached, if needed. Is there a countertop or wall near your toilet that she can push off from when she needs to get up? There are tons of products available at home medical equipment stores or you could try sammonspreston.com, I think.

Pick up any throw rugs to prevent tripping. If she's going to be getting up at night to use the toilet, make sure there's some way to turn on the light from her bedside. It's not good to be shuffling around in the dark! Also, if your stairs don't have a good handrail, now's the time to put one in.

That's all I can think of for now but I'll sleep on it. I was an OT in rehab for quite a while but I'm on my "baby break" right now so I'm a bit rusty. Hope it helps!

[Disney Doll]

Sounds like you're doing pretty well. I would take some time to speak with her nurses and therapists at rehab and get their suggestions too. You never know, they might have a list of "what to do/what you need" for a post hip fracture patient.

[lovemygoofy]

Have you gone through the living room and other rooms with the walker to maker sure there are no sharp corners or places that the walker may get stuck? We had to do this with my granny. We took her walker and pushed it everywhere we thought she would go within the house to make sure there would be no problems.

Also, for your FYI there is a great walker that has a bench seat attached to it. It also has brakes and a little basket. My granny called it her "caddilac" and she would sit on when she was tired while out and sometimes I just pushed her back to the car or wherever while she sat.

Do you have a handheld shower thingy to help her rinse off while in the bath? That really helps if someone is used to showers more than baths and I couldn't agree more about the toilet seat raiser thingy especially the one with the handles.