Hip replacement surgery?

[minniecarousel]

I'm looking for anyone who has had hip replacement surgery. My dear sister, who is 63, just had this done yesterday. She is already sitting up in a chair! We're trying to figure out if she'll need someone to stay with her when she goes home - she lives alone. She would prefer not to go to a rehab facility. With a large family, we think that we can arrange to have someone with her pretty much 24/7 for a few weeks - if that's what is needed. So if you or a family member has had this done, what were your experiences? With her not being an elderly person (but she has a bum opposite knee that will need to be replaced too) we're not sure how much attendant care she'll need.

 

[Living with the Land]

My grandmother had both hips done at 75 and 76. She was able to go home but someone needed to be with her for about a month each time. There are exercises you have to do several times every day. These are so important in getting the hip working right in your body. We had to help with the exercises at first but it gets better every day.

Holly

 

[Saphire]

Hi Julie,
I am a physical therapist working in a short-term rehab hospital. While I have never had this surgery, I have worked with hundreds who have. Your best bet is to ask advice of her therapist, she/he can give you a more customized answer and tell you how much help she will need. Going by what information you have given, I would say it would be great if someone could stay with her for one week. She may still be sore/swollen and may need help getting her leg in/out of bed. It is difficult to stand in the kitchen and prepare a meal that first week home. It is hard maneuvering in the tub and if someone were there to assist with the details of getting in and out that would be great. After one-two weeks of being home she should be up and about enough to take care of herself. If she had some meals in the freezer (or brought in) for two-three weeks, that would be ideal. She should receive therapy for about six weeks at home to help strengthen her leg. Best wishes.

 

[powellrj]

my aunt just had knee replacement done on her second knee. The first time she went home and her daughter came and helped her. This time her granddaughter just had a baby so her daughter was helping there and couldn't be there. She couldn't believe how much easier it was to go to short term care. When she was at home, her daughter would help with exercises and basic care. When she was at rehab, they came and got her to exercise so she had them at a regular time and recovered so much quicker. The bathroom was set up for her needs and her meals were served so these things were much easier than trying to do them at home. She couldn't believe how much quicker she recovered this time than the first time.

 

[Breezy_Carol]

I, too, am a physical therapist. I work in home care. I agree totally with what Saphire said. She will probably have home care services to help her set up an exercise program and possibly even aides to help with bathing. But I agree that if she was independent before surgery, she probably won't need help for long.

 

[minniecarousel]

It's so nice to have some different perspectives.
Saphire - we have a niece who works in a short term rehab & thinks she would do well there for a short stay. She already has the shower/tub that has a door - that's how bad her hip had gotten - she was having trouble getting her leg over the bathtub to get into it. (she couldn't have taken a bath - she would never have been able to get out by herself!) We're thinking that we can "tag-team" her. My other sister or niece could stay the night with her. They could wait til I got there at 1 pm - I could stay until someone came back in the evening. We could fix her meals- we wouldnt want her standing on it to fix meals at first. She's already been told that she'd have home physical therapy. We'll talk to her therapists & see what their recomendation is once they've had a chance to work with her.
Thanks for the responses!

 

[Breezy_Carol]

Isn't the DIS a wonderful wealth of knowledge.

 

[mamajoan]

Hey there Min...

Is your Aunt living up in your area? The hospital discharge planner can hook you up with the home care agency.. depending on her insurance coverage.

As far as her bathtub situation, the following is what we usually did for home care patients with Total hips. If you can remove the door on the shower/tub(replace it with a shower curtain if nec).
Shower bench, hand held shower, and long handle scrub brush will make showering fairly easy for her.
She will probably come home with a long handle reacher, raised toilet seat and a contraption to help her put on her socks ( really helpful)

The OT/PT at the hospital may address these things. Sometimes they let the home health therapies take care of it.

Ask her therapist at the hospital for a WRITTEN LIST of Do's and Don'ts.

ie.. no bending forward, no crossing the legs, pillow between knees, surgical stockings/TED hose usage etc.

Ask about pain meds, home health agency initial visit, return appt with ortho
before they begin discharge.-- some of the Bay Area's hospitals have better discharge planner's than others..

I am sure your aunt will recover well.. glad she has great family like you!

mj