Hip fractures are a serious injury that can lead to a host of complications for older adults, including death. The elderly are especially prone to hip fractures due to several reasons, including bone weakening as one ages, and the increased risk of falls. Additionally, osteoporosis makes bones brittle and more likely to fracture in the event of a fall, and because more women are prone to osteoporosis, they are three times more likely than men to suffer a hip fracture.
Each year, over 300,000 Americans age 65 and older are hospitalized for a hip fracture, and over 95% of those are the result of a fall.
At Nightingale Homecare, the top Carefree home care agency, we’re skilled in both helping seniors recover from hip fractures and enhancing safety to prevent them from occurring. The information below can help keep your senior safe from a hip fracture, and help you understand the healing process if one should occur.
Several risk factors for increased danger of experiencing a fall include:
- Certain medications causing dizziness
- Weakened muscles due to inactivity
- Poor balance
- Changes in blood pressure, with a drop occurring when getting up from sitting or lying produces dizziness
- Poor vision
- Slow reflexes resulting in loss of balance
Surgery is most often recommended within 48 hours of a hip fracture to stabilize the hip. There are risks with surgery, and complications can include:
- Blood clots in the legs or lung
- Delirium
- Bed sores
- Pneumonia
- Urinary tract infections
- Further loss of muscle strength
The loss of muscle strength can lead to increased risk of a secondary hip fracture. Included in the post-operative plan for any patient suffering a hip fracture should be an evaluation of the home and the patient for falls risk.
At Nightingale Homecare, we’re committed to helping seniors stay active while remaining safe from falls. Our fully trained Carefree home care agency staff would love to meet with you and your senior loved one to provide a free in-home assessment and to offer assistance on enhancing quality of life and independence while maintaining optimum safety.
We provide a fully encompassing range of home care and home health care services through our team of professional nurses, medical social workers, dieticians, occupational/ physical/speech therapists, and home health aides – ensuring that the individual needs of each senior client are covered both for today and as needs change in the future. And, our Paces Fall Prevention Program places a concerted focus on further reducing fall risk in seniors.
Contact us to learn more about how our Carefree home care agency can reduce the risk of a fall, and subsequently a hip fracture or other serious injury, by calling us at (602) 504-1555, or by completing our simple online contact form. We’re on hand to answer any questions you may have or to schedule a free in-home consultation.
