Helping An Older Loved One Avoid Falling After Their Hip Replacement Surgery
More than 95% of hip fractures suffered by senior citizens happen due to a fall of some kind. If you have a loved one who fell, broke their hip and ended up having hip replacement surgery, you may want to do everything you can to help them avoid breaking other bones. Use the information below to help make their home safer so they can avoid falling again after their hip replacement surgery.
Make Commonly-Used Items Reachable
When your loved one first returns home after their surgery, they may still be in some pain. To make sure they aren't bending too far down and can reach everything they use on a regular basis, go through their home and put commonly-used items in easy reaching distance from their bed and favorite easy chair. Move pots and pans to the kitchen counter and put their dishes on lower shelves in cabinets so that they don't have to reach for them. Not only will this help them feel more comfortable after their surgery, but they may be less likely to fall again if they aren't stretching or stooping to reach things.
Clear a Path for the Walker or Crutches
Your loved one is likely to come home from their hip replacement surgery with some kind of walking device. To make sure they don't fall as they walk with their device, it is important to move furniture around so that they can get around without much trouble.
It is especially important to pick up any area rugs that they have in their home. It can be easy to slip on them, even with an assistive device.
Consider Grab Bars
Grab bars can be extremely helpful for your loved one when they get home from surgery. Moving themselves from their walking device to the toilet and getting up again can be difficult to do when there is nothing to hold on to. Falling is a possibility. Grab bars can make that process easier and protect your loved one when they need to head to the bathroom. The bars can also help them prevent falling in the future as well, even when they may have no further need of their walking device.
Now that you've got some ideas for preventing falls in your loved one's home after their hip replacement surgery, start taking appropriate action. Ask their orthopedic surgeon or go to http://www.towncenterorthopaedics.com for more information on this topic.
