How Hip Fractures Affect the Elderly and How Assisted Living Can Help In the Recovery
Needless to say, the elderly are prone to injuries for many different and varying reasons. However the risk of falling is especially bad for seniors, and can lead to hip fractures. The moment they lose coordination, they would have difficulty with their balance and eyesight and this can become potentially dangerous.
Therefore, when the elderly are at risk of falling in their everyday lives, they have higher chances of getting hip injuries due to weaker bones.
Risk Factors of Hip Injuries
- Osteoporosis – when a person becomes older, they become more susceptible to bone fracture because this disease will cause the bones to become weaker.
- Gender – it is a known fact that women tend to lose more bone density compared to men due to the lowering of estrogen levels after menopause starts.
- Nutrition – when your childhood had poor nutrition issues, then you will have a risk of hip-fracture.
- Tobacco and alcohol use – bone loss can be caused by too much consumption of cigarettes and alcohol.
Hip fractures have two main types, including the femoral neck fracture and the intertrochanteric region fracture. In rare cases, people may not have hip fracture surgery, as they might be too sick to undergo the procedure. Thus, they will be under the traction method or any appropriate methods to repair the fracture.
Therapy and Recovery
When one undergoes therapy, the repair could be simple, but the results can be dangerous. In fact, based on statistics, there are about 25% mortality rates per year after a hip fracture occurred. This is because of some complications, such as blood clots, pneumonia, and infections.
The need to have assisted living facilities towards recovery is essential. After the surgery is done in the hospital, patients are required to stay from 4 days to 1 week. However, longer stays can be necessary depending on the type of surgery.
In such cases, patients need to be rehabilitated in a separate facility for at least a month for recovery. It is the job of the occupational therapists to help patients recover, but only in the hospital.
After hospitalization, a skilled nursing facility or an assisted living community can be a good place for recovery. The most essential factor to determine the location to rehabilitate is finding a setting that would reduce the risk of readmission to the hospital. Moreover, it should help in the recovery of their strength and confidence.
Rehabilitation in Assisted Living Community
There is a great chance that rehabilitation after a hip injury can be achieved in assisted living facilities. This can be similar to home therapies provided by nursing services paid for by the insurance coverage.
Assisted living facilities are also necessary because the elderly would require assistance in activities of daily living, which include bathing, meal preparation, and dressing. Thus, an assisted living community should be a great option when you are looking to rehabilitate a loved one after a hip injury operation.
Fallbrook Assisted Living is proud to offer its services to Fremont, NE and surrounding areas and cities: Arlington, Cedar Bluffs, Ames Nickerson, Fontanelle, Arlington, Leshara, Colon, and Hooper
