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What to Expect When Your Mom Has Hip Replacement Surgery

Before your mom comes home after hip replacement surgery, it's important to consider what care she's going to need. Here are some considerations.

Your mom fell on the basement stairs and landed on her hip. She ended up with a hip fracture that required surgery. Before she comes home, it’s important to consider what care she’s going to need. Hiring home health care providers could help her with her needs.

Health Assessments

Home Health Care Bucyrus OH – What to Expect When Your Mom Has Hip Replacement Surgery

When your mom’s taking pain medications, it can impact her blood pressure. Her nurse can track her blood pressure and record them for her doctor. If her medications are causing it to dip too much, the nurse and doctors will discuss and implement other options.

After a fall and hip replacement surgery, depression is possible. Your mom’s nurse will watch for signs of depression and take appropriate measures to help her.

Home Health Care Aides Administer Medication 

After her hip surgery, your mom may experience pain. She may have prescription pain medications that must be carefully managed. Nurses can track her dosages and make sure her pain is managed without using too many pills. If her pain isn’t well managed, her nurses will consult with her doctors to determine a better option.

If your mom was found to have osteoporosis, she may need injections to help strengthen her bones. Home health care nurses can administer those injections.

What if she has pain medications that are prescribed through an IV? Nurses can do that, too.

Dietary Considerations

Another reason that home health care is often recommended after hip surgery is that her diet may need to improve. Nurses can help your mom and family caregivers understand how to make sure her diet includes the appropriate amount of calcium and vitamin D.

She might be surprised by how many of the foods she eats don’t contain enough calcium. To get enough calcium each day, she needs to consume 1,200 milligrams of calcium each day. How much is that?

  • One cup of low-fat plain yogurt has 415 milligrams
  • One and one-half ounces of part-skim mozzarella cheese has 333 milligrams
  • Three ounces of oil-packed sardines have 325 milligrams
  • One cup of skim milk has 299 milligrams
  • One cup of whole milk has 276 milligrams

Often, you hear that broccoli is a good source of calcium. A half-cup of raw broccoli has 21 milligrams. Kale is better at 99 milligrams per cup.

Physical Therapy

To regain strength, balance, and mobility, your mom will need to complete a series of exercises each day. She cannot just sit around. Her surgeon will ask her to work with a physical therapist to learn how to strengthen the muscles surrounding her new hip joint.

Home health care services can make a big difference in keeping your mom out of the hospital. With at-home physical therapy services, your mom slowly rebuilds muscle strength and balance. She won’t overdo it and end up creating a new injury.

With home health care nurses, your mom has help managing pain medications, including any that are given via an IV or injection. She’ll have a nurse available to assess her health and pain levels and discuss any potential issues with her doctor. Learn more about the full range of home health care services by making a call.

Sources: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Calcium-HealthProfessional/

If you are considering hiring Home Health Care Services in Bucyrus OH, call the caring staff at Central Star Home Health at (419) 610-2161.  

Providing services for families in Mansfield, Lexington, Bellville, Crestline, Galion, Shelby, Ashland, Ontario, Bucyrus, Mt. Vernon, Marion, Willard, and the surrounding areas.

Stephen Sternbach

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