Advice please on how to support my Mum going for Hip Op aged 81

i had a new hip at 76 my son stayed with me for a week to help after that i was on my own getting around on crutches or walking stick. If mum is independent now she will be again walking and exercise is important but she will need someone to walk with her fortunately i have lovely friends who took it in turn to walk daily with me for ten minutes and gradually building it up till i was walking for thirty minutes. ready meals are good and easy. she will probably find sleeping difficult for a while but after 4/6 weeks she will be back to doing everything without to much of a problem is not been ten months for me and is the best thing I ever did pain free and enjoying a life again. i would just say be prepared for bad bruising all down the leg scared me silly my leg was black and blue took about two months to fade. Hope it all goes well for her.

hi I'm 62 live alone in the uk and am a retired nurse . the hospital wont discharge her till she is safe especially when they know she lives alone. I had my OP 4 weeks ago today and after abt 10 days once the dressing was off I got in my shower the main instruction re that was not to shower directly the wound because of the water pressure and the damage it could do. make sure they show her how to step into and out of the shower so she knows how to do it. I'd already put everything I need at touching height without bending so although the house looks a tip in places I've got bags of clothes etc within touching distance. we were advised to use a microwave for cooking and not an oven to prevent bending. but they do show you how to bend to get stuff out the fridge etc. although shes independent tbh I think probably a week where you take care of her is a gd idea but she needs to be relatively mobile at home as well to aid her recovery. I've got 3 grabbers in different rooms and they're invaluable for getting dressed etc. I'm wearing mainly dresses and skirts and tops as there easy to wear and def no tights but it's fairly warm atm so not an issue. she may need help to get in and out of bed for the first week but that varies so much from person to person. once shes had the op a lot find it's easier to sleep on your back than it was pre OP.

I didn't get any bruising. my hospital are using something called a pico dressing which works by negative pressure to stop bleeding and prevent bacteria entering the wound - it's a dressing connected to a little pump which turns itself off after 7 days. my practice nurse removed it . I'm not sure if many hospitals are using it tho but it was brilliant .

anyway good luck to your mum and to you all. let us know how she gets on

I am 76 and had a hip replacement last december. I am lucky enough to have a dutiful wife who looked after me throughout - and I have to say that for me everything worked out just fine. A few helpful pointers maybe. A good adjustable chair so that your mum can sit comfortably without exceeding the 90 degrees. Fortunately I had an office chair so absolutely everything could be adjusted to suit. For the first week or so mum will find it difficult to swing her operated leg up onto the bed, and then down again, and people have suggested using a belt as a lifting sling. Sleeping on her back will become easier as time goes by ( But she might snore more than usual ). You will need a raised toilet seat, again to avoid the 90 degrees, and for me the hospital provided this and two sticks free of charge. As to the operation itself - you go to sleep, wake up, your done. The first day after the operation is a bit of an inconvenience as you have a lot of wires and tubes, but once these are removed recovery is quick. Within a few hours your mum will join the others shuffling up and down the corridor with their zimmer frame, then the two sticks - and then probably just two days post op she will be on her way home. Lots of snacks, fresh batteries in the TV remote, fruit juice to hand, the mobile phone charged up, and everything is set. Probably within two or three weeks she will be as lively as ever and wondering why she had been so nervous. I wish her a comfortable and speedy recovery. Which hospital will she be in ??

I had my 20 year. old hip revised and nanaged on my own quite well . I was 77 years old but very. active and fit. I was back to my normal very actjve life within a couple of months. BTW I bought a cheap but strong plastic bag like product that allowed me to take prolonged hot showers which was bliss! That bag thing is still in good condition and cost under a tenner I think. Good luck with tour mum. Cheers Richard

I am much younger than your mother and had my sister stay with me for a while, twenty four hours. My surgeon was quite concerned that I was living alone so was very pleased my sister was stepping in to help. Your mother will need crutches so she won't easily be able carry things even a cup of tea. She could get a trolley. Microwavable meals are easiest as she will be told not to bend more than 90 degrees, which means you can't pick things up off the floor for a while. I had a bag thing I could carry bits and bobs round in, as the others said grabbers are one of the most important things. I was given a piece of material tied in a loop by the hospital lift my operated leg in and out of bed, some people use a dressing gown chord or similar. I was allowed to shower even when I was in hospital. I had a wet room at home which was fantastic. I did buy an icer from Amazon for the wound but never actually used it. I had elastic wasted skirts to wear which worked very well, some people suggest those Turkish trousers as they are easy to put on without bending. I had everything at waist height so I did not need to bend. She will be tired after the op as it is pretty major, so she will need to rest and probably will find looking after herself quite tiring at the beginning.

A convalescent home is ideal for a week or two. Perhaps you could check with social services about it. Planning beforehand is a definite must. Although it would be wonderful your mother will not be able to just carry on as before for a while. A lot of people find they are quite tearful after the op, luckily I wasn't. I did have a lot of friends visiting though and making me cups of tea and bringing round fancy biscuits.

Good luck to your mother, I hope it all goes well.

hi, I went through this with my mum last summer. She was 82 at the time. I went ans stayed with her for the first 2 weeks , she had a walking frame with a tray but found it a struggle in the first few days. She also struggled to get out of her chair. She doesn't have carers so I felt better myself for just staying with her. She managed to sleep on her back (also single bed) using a pillow to elevate her leg to stop swelling. she is normally a side sleeper but she said it was comfier on her back for first few weeks. My mum just wore skirts and a top (no tights) but it was a lot warmer last year. Her wound was stapled and had a dressing on for 10 days. When staples were removed the wound was dry and clean, no infection so she was able to go in the shower. up till then she had strip washed. mum used to sit with my foot spar bowl to soak her feet. After 2 weeks she had already started getting breakfast for herself and she had always independently washed and dressed so i was able to go home. I made sure she had meals that could be warmed up and i just went to see her everyday. I found it best to have a full 24 hr support plan in place and was then after the op you can see exactly what is needed. everybody reacts differently so all you can do is help as much as you can. sending you very best wishes and I hope your mum recovers well x

Hi,

I just like to say that your mum is very lucky to have you all.

I think its great that you try to get all these information before your mum goes into the hospital.

I am 60 and had my hip replacement in Nov 18.

i had to have a strip wash for a while as I only got a bath.

But I am sure after about 2 weeks your mum would be able to have a shower if anyone in your family has a walk in shower.

To get the Wiltshire meals is a great idea too.

Maybe get your mum a V-cushion and that might helps her to stay on her back in bed.

Also, while she is in Hospital someone from the Occupational Health will come and talk to her about how she lives and what things may needs to be changed.

They arranged to have handle bars installed all the way up my stairs as I didn't have any and also arranged a perching chair to be delivered to my house.

As I live on my own I also had someone from Age UK coming once a week for 1 hour for 6 weeks to help me with shopping, cleaning etc. (they do not do personal care).

That helped a lot.

Getting dressed is a challenge.

At the beginning I was not able to put the surgical stocking on or take them off and were not able to wash my feet either. She deffinately would need help with that and also with the socks afterwards.

It would also be very useful to get her a grabber, so that she can pick stuff up of the floor.

it also is a good Idea to have a chair where she can sit in the day time with a table beside it where she can put a phone and other important things she needs, can put on.

I am sure your mum will be fine as it sounds like she has a very caring, helpful and supportive family.

Make sure that your mum has a mobile phone which she can have on her all the time, just in case she needs help and can call someone.

I had my OP in Milton Keynes and they informed me of all help I was able to get.

So good luck to your mum for the OP and I hope all goes well.

Petra