Hip Fracture in Elderly Parents: What to Do After Mom or Dad Breaks a Hip
It’s a phone call you hope you never get, saying your mother or father has fallen and was taken to the hospital for surgery to fix a broken hip.
Your immediate thought might be seeing your loved one after surgery and knowing everything went well. However, surgery may be just the first step, especially for orthopedic surgery (specializing in the musculoskeletal system).
For older adults, surgery has a greater impact. They can’t bounce back and return to work quickly like someone in their 30s, making geriatric hip fractures more concerning. Plus, there can be serious implications and consequences for hip fractures in older adults.
This article provides more information on hip fractures, hip fracture treatment, and what to do when hip fractures occur. Knowing what to expect and the steps to take can make an uncertain, scary time much easier.
Why Are Hip Fractures So Concerning for Seniors?
Hip fractures often indicate that life is about to change for seniors and their families. Approximately half of those who experience one are no longer able to live independently.
Hip fractures can have severe consequences. In some cases, they reduce the length of the person’s life. In other cases, the fracture takes away the person’s independence. When the fracture is then connected to not moving for an extended period of time, it can also lead to other health concerns such as bedsores, loss of muscle mass, blood clots, or pneumonia.
Nonetheless, these kinds of consequences don’t always come with a hip fracture, and there are steps you can take to increase the likelihood of a better outcome, including getting the right care. Keep reading for more information on that.
About Hip Fractures
A hip fracture means the person has a break in the femur, the section of the thigh bone close to the hip joint. The femur is highly important for the health and stability of the body and is the strongest bone.
This type of break is serious, and most hip fractures lead to surgery. Within this bone, people generally experience femoral neck fractures, which happen in the upper part of the bone, or intertrochanteric region fractures, which are part of the bone that sticks out slightly farther from the hip joint.
More than 300,000 seniors (age 65 plus) are admitted to the hospital every year for a hip fracture, with most hip fractures occurring from falls, which were, for the most part, sideways falls.
What Causes Hip Fractures?
This kind of fracture usually happens when someone falls from a standing height. Sometimes, it’s caused by an accident like a vehicle crash, and in other cases, the person’s bones are so weak that just standing and twisting the leg can result in a fracture of the hip.
Some people are more prone to hip fractures than others. Health conditions such as osteoporosis, intestinal disorders, or an overactive thyroid can weaken the bones, such as a lack of certain nutrients, a lack of weight-bearing exercise, some medications, and being underweight.
Women are at a higher risk of hip fractures as they lose bone density more quickly, especially after menopause. Older people are at a higher risk, as aging creates declines in muscle mass and bone density. They also have a higher likelihood of vision and balance issues that can potentially lead to falling.
Alcohol and tobacco use can also contribute to bone loss, and certain health conditions, illnesses, and medications can affect balance or cause dizziness, thus increasing the risk of falls and femur breaks.
How to Prevent Hip Fractures
You don’t have to simply accept the idea that an older adult will get a hip fracture and it will lead to medical complications. Sure, it’s good to be knowledgeable and prepared in case it happens, but first, there are steps you can take to reduce the risk of hip fracture.
Some steps surround lifestyle. An aging adult needs to get the recommended daily amounts of calcium and vitamin D, as they contribute to bone health. Your loved one could talk to their doctor about whether taking a supplement to reach those levels makes sense.
In addition, it’s helpful to carry out weight-bearing exercises like walking and balance training. Ensure your parents follow a safe workout for their current health status. It’s advisable to ask a medical professional before starting an exercise program.
Focus on other ways your loved one could improve their health for fall prevention, such as reducing excessive alcohol consumption, quitting smoking, and having regular eye checkups.
Also, consider whether a support tool like a cane or walker could be helpful if your aging parent feels a bit unsteady while walking. If you’re unsure, an occupational therapist or doctor could guide you.
Another extremely helpful step is to create a safer home environment that’s set up to reduce the risk of falls, and this is an area where family members can help out. First and foremost, address slipping and tripping hazards, such as clutter, too much furniture, cords in the way, certain rugs, or slippery floors.
Ensure proper lighting and consider nightlights and lights on timers to ensure an aging adult can see where they’re going at night. Also, it can help to install shower grab bars to help prevent falling while getting out of the shower or bath.
Further, ensuring your aging parent has the care they need early enough can help reduce the risk of falls and fractures. Instead of waiting for a decline or fracture to get senior care for your loved one, consider whether they could use care beforehand.
For instance, a caregiver in the home could help remove fall risk factors by keeping the home clutter-free and assisting the person when moving about.
Other medical professionals can help as well. For instance, talk to your parent’s doctor if their medication is making them dizzy and discuss your concerns about fall risk. Occupational therapists and physical therapists could also provide recommendations and exercises to reduce risk and ensure the highest level of health and wellness.
What Happens After a Hip Fracture?
Generally, your older parents would need surgery after a hip fracture. Surgery addresses the situation, as it can manage the pain of the fracture and bring back mobility. At the same time, it introduces other risks from possible post-surgical complications, such as blood clots, urinary tract infections, or bedsores.
Depending on the situation, hip fracture surgery could involve internal repair with screws and possibly a metal plate, partial hip replacement, or total hip replacement. Total hip replacement is the treatment associated with reduced costs and improved outcomes in the long term in independent, healthy adults. However, orthopedic surgeons determine the type of femoral neck fractures compared to intertrochanteric region fractures, whether it’s an acute hip fracture or other factors.
Your loved one will start physical therapy very soon after surgery. Starting this process quickly is important, as it helps increase mobility and reduces the risk of serious complications from not moving enough. Without the subsequent physical therapy, immobilization could lead to loss of muscle mass, infection, pneumonia, or a blood clot.
Pain management is another part of this process, and it’s important to ensure it’s being managed properly so the older adult can heal and recover. During recovery, your parents would likely also have a large focus on nutrition and occupational therapy for optimal health and wellness.
The recovery process after a hip fracture can last for months, especially when the patient is frail or simply older. After the rehab process, they may continue to need additional care as they transition to living at home again (if they can do so).
In time, you may find they’re unable to do what they previously could on their own and, therefore, may need additional care and support from then on.
Generally, the process after a hip fracture would look like this:
- An orthopedic surgeon performs hip fracture surgery to manage pain, stabilize the bone, and encourage healing.
- An inpatient hospital stay provides pain management, supervision of the surgical site, and the start of physical therapy.
- A stay in a skilled nursing facility offers long-term rehabilitation with proper nutrition, physical therapy, and occupational therapy.
- In-home care services provide further assistance from home, or you can place your loved one in a senior care community.
What Should You Do If a Hip Fracture Occurs?
Generally, you wouldn’t know your aging parent broke their hip until having it medically evaluated. Nonetheless, you might notice signs and symptoms that your loved one can’t get up, put weight on one side, can’t move one leg or hip, or is expressing severe pain in the hip area.
You might also notice one leg looks shorter or turned out, bone showing through the skin, and some bruising and swelling.
In all likelihood, you would be responding to a fall.
If a senior falls or otherwise shows the above signs and symptoms, get them medical attention right away. It’s best to call emergency services rather than bring the person to the emergency department yourself, as you should avoid moving the person as best you can as you wait for assistance to arrive.
When you call 911, share the information about the fall and/or that you think the person may have a hip fracture, and ask what steps you should take as you wait.
What Type of Senior Care Does Someone with a Hip Fracture Need?
For many older adults, the rehab that follows a hip fracture and surgery can be a slow and taxing journey. What then becomes the pinnacle for many of these individuals is finding quality assistance in a safe environment for the long term.
The type of care for a senior with a hip fracture will be on a case-by-case basis. In many cases, your loved one would have a stay in a skilled nursing facility (SNF) following the surgical treatment and the subsequent inpatient hospital stay. After rehabilitation in the SNF, you and medical professionals can determine your parent’s abilities and needs at that point.
In many cases, older adults cannot be fully independent after the hip fracture, or they may need additional support until they gain more independence.
At this point, you could consider senior care options such as the following:
Independent Living Communities
Independent living could provide assistance with some cleaning and meals if your loved one is otherwise independent following rehabilitation.
Assisted Living Communities
An assisted living community would provide additional support with activities of daily living if needed, in addition to regular meals and activities on site.
In-Home Care Services
Whether in your parent’s home or you move your parent to your own home as an adult child, you could hire in-home care services to assist your parent with their medical and daily needs. There are different kinds of in-home care, including non-clinical care that provides assistance with activities of daily living and clinical/skilled care that could include aspects like nursing, medication management, and therapies.
Skilled Nursing Facilities
In some cases, elderly patients may need to continue to stay at a skilled nursing facility or nursing home long-term after hip fractures occur. This could be the case for hip fracture patients who are no longer able to do much on their own and require consistent, skilled medical care.
Contact CarePatrol for Guidance on Care Options
It’s normal for hip fracture patients and their family members to feel anxious and uncertain after a hip fracture, but there are professionals and best practices that can help you find your way forward.
If you’re unsure about the types of care available for your parents after hip surgery and rehabilitation, our local senior advisors at CarePatrol can help. They have the knowledge to guide you on the available care types and which one could best suit your current situation. Read more about how we can help.
CarePatrol local senior care advisors are here to help families in this unfamiliar and overwhelming arena of caring for their aging loved ones, broken hip recovery, and finding the safest care solutions. Contact us today to learn more.