Edmonton Senior Home Care | July 14, 2018
Senior Knee or Hip Replacement | Fortunately, medical advancements have made knee and hip replacements for seniors commonplace, and often, family or close friends offer to assist their loved ones in their in-home recovery. The patient can quickly get back to independent living with the right help.
Before surgery, create a first-floor recovery room to avoid stairs. Acquire a bed that is adjustable or already at the proper height for the patient. Cover with fresh linens and pillows. Keep crutches or walker in easy access from the bed. Arrange toiletries or personal necessities next to the bed. If the bathroom isn’t easily available, rent a portable commode for the first few recovery days.
Drugs will be prescribed after surgery, and they must be taken exactly as detailed. Arrange a conversation with the surgeon before surgery so you know how to schedule doses.
After the knee or hip surgery, vigilant wound care will be necessary. Look for increased swelling or inflammation and call their doctor if the wound doesn’t seem right. Keep the bandages and other supplies handy for you or your elderly adult to regularly change the dressings.
Help the patient by doing as many household chores as possible. Let them focus on needed rest and recovery. Remember that small things do help. Bringing the mail in daily, doing a load of laundry, or straightening up their room are all helpful things, and running errands and doing the grocery shopping may be necessary, too, so you can cook healthy nourishing meals.
Post-surgery medical appointments mustn’t be missed. These appointments will be crucial to recovery, so you may have to adjust your schedule to help transport your loved one.
Typically, hip or knee replacement surgeries have a prescribed rehab plan with numerous daily exercises, sometimes to be initiated the day following surgery. Older people sometimes resist these exercises, because of pain or fatigue. Basically, be their best source of encouragement by creating an exercise schedule and helping them to complete it.
Above all, surgery has recovery time, but hip and knee surgeries may need more than you can feasibly provide for your loved one. Rather than feeling stressed, call for in-home health care to help you and your loved one during recovery.
If you are concerned about the health and well-being of your aging loved ones we can help with retirement care, 24-hour care, respite care, senior care, companionship care, end-of-life care, post-surgery care, palliative care, personal care, senior living transition services, and much more!
Comfort Keepers®’ are trained caregivers who help provide senior clients with the highest quality of life possible to keep them happy and healthy at home.
Our Interactive Caregiving™ provides a system of care that addresses companionship, safety, nutrition, mind, body, and activities of daily living (ADLs).
Moreover, our trained caregivers are selected with one specific quality: empathy. Empathetic care is care that starts in the heart, and it allows us to meet our client’s exact needs.
To learn more about senior care in Edmonton, contact the Comfort Keepers® office to discuss our unique service offering. If you live in Devon, Edmonton, Sherwood Park, or Stony Plain and surrounding areas, contact Comfort Keepers at 780-465-4665.
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