What Happens Immediately After Hip Replacement Surgery?
Home Care Pembroke Pines FL
Even with all of the benefits that total hip replacement surgery can offer to your aging loved one, it can still be nerve racking to prepare for the procedure. By giving your parent as much information as you possibly can about the procedure and what to expect after it, you can help your elderly loved one feel more at ease and confident, as well as give yourself greater peace of mind.
What you should know about what happens immediately after hip replacement surgery includes:
- Duration. The surgery itself will only take about 1 to 2 hours. During this time you can wait for your parent in the surgical waiting room where the medical team will let you know when the surgery is complete. Immediately following the procedure your parent will stay in the surgical room for another hour or two for monitoring before being moved to their hospital room.
- Lack of movement. Your parent can be expected to be on restricted movement for several hours following the procedure. This is to give the body the chance to begin the healing process on the joint itself as well as the surgical site. They will be in a bed that is designed to support the joint in a specific position and that can be adjusted to help them stay comfortable and manage tasks such as eating.
- Sutures. The surgical site will be closed using stitches or staples. These will likely be removed around two weeks after the surgery. Until they are removed it is extremely important that you follow care guidelines offered by the doctor, including not getting the area wet.
- Length of stay. Depending on their age, condition, health, and any complications that might have arisen during the surgery, your aging parent can expect to remain in the hospital for 3 to 5 days following their surgery. After this the doctor may recommend transferring into a rehabilitation center or going directly home to continue recovering and rehabilitating there. The full recovery period can be 6 months or more.
Having an elderly home care services provider in the home with your parent throughout the recovery period is one of the best ways to ensure that they will get the care, support, and assistance necessary to guide them through the recovery process and ensure that they can heal in the best way possible. This includes managing basic tasks such as meal preparation, light housekeeping, light laundry, and errands so that your parent can get the rest that they need to heal, as well as encouragement to get active when it is right for them. A home care provider can also offer valuable companionship and emotional support that will help your parent to get through the potentially difficult period of recovery in a way that is healthy and beneficial. If possible, get this home care provider into place prior to the surgery. This will not only ensure that they are there for your parent from the very beginning of their recovery period, but it will also afford your parent the opportunity to get accustomed to the care provider. By feeling more comfortable with the elderly home care services provider before the surgery your parent will be prepared to accept care and assistance from them after the surgery, helping to reduce the chances of complications and improve overall results.
