Hip fractures in older adults are very common – accounting for over 300,000 hospitalizations each year according to the CDC. Hip fractures aren’t just painful and challenging to recover from; they can also be dangerous if the person in question has additional complications. The risk of mortality can be especially high for people with chronic health conditions, cognitive impairments, mobility issues, and hip fracture treatments that don’t involve corrective surgeries.
For these reasons, it’s important for seniors and their caregivers to
know how to help prevent hip fractures, understand the risk factors, and have
insight into the best treatments. Here are some answers and advice from
our short-term rehab team in Sussex County.
What can make a hip fracture deadly?
As we age, we tend to heal more slowly, develop complications more
easily, and experience more severe symptoms than when we were young spring
chickens. Hip fractures are especially dangerous because they involve a major
bone that directly affects our ability to move. This inability to move impacts
circulation, overall health, and healing, putting seniors at risk for:
- Blood clots – Frequently
occurring in the lungs and legs, clots may block capillaries, cutting off
blood and oxygen supply to limbs (deep vein thrombosis), or may travel
through the bloodstream and get stuck in the lungs (pulmonary embolism).
- Urinary tract infections – UTIs can quickly
become serious health issues for both men and women, causing severe
discomfort, fever, pain, and even confusion or delirium. These infections
put the body under a lot of stress and are especially dangerous if the
person has kidney-related health problems.
- Pneumonia – This is a lung
infection that is especially dangerous to seniors, filling the lungs with
fluid or pus and reducing the capacity of the lungs. Severe pneumonia has
a death rate in seniors of around 20%, according to the American Lung
Association. To help prevent pneumonia, it’s recommended that seniors stay
up to date with a pneumococcal vaccine.
Risk factors
According to the CDC, 95% of hip fractures in seniors are caused by a
fall. Your senior loved one is more likely to experience a hip fracture if they
have the following risk factors:
- Age – We lose our
muscle coordination, balance, and eyesight as we age, making it much
easier to fall.
- Bone weakness –Osteoporosis and
bone weakness are also common (with osteoporosis more common in women than
men), so when a senior does fall, they are more likely to have severe
damage.
- Medication –Some medications
that seniors take can make them feel tired, lightheaded, or dizzy. Others
can even weaken bones and muscles.
- Poor diet – A diet lacking
in calcium, vitamin D, and protein will tend to cause weaker bones and
muscles.
- Inactivity –Exercise is key
to keeping bones and muscles strong, as well as promoting balance and
coordination, so being sedentary can increase a senior’s risks.
- Previous hip fracture –If a senior has
fractured their hip before, this area of the bone is likely to be weaker,
so it’s easier to fracture it again.
- Home environment –Homes that have
stairs, poor lighting, clutter, rugs, unstable furniture, and bathrooms
without safety enhancements (no grab bars, etc.) increase senior fall
risks.
Prevention
There is no 100% guarantee that you can prevent a hip fracture, but
taking the following steps will help to significantly reduce the risk:
- Medications – Make sure
medications are being taken at the right dose, at the right time. If your
loved one is experiencing side effects, take a list of up-to-date
prescriptions to their doctor to see what can be done.
- Fall proofing – Clear away
clutter, install grab bars and a shower chair in the bathroom, lift rugs,
keep pathways through the home clear, install railings on stairs, and make
sure lighting is sufficient (especially between the bedroom and bathroom).
- Healthy living – Encourage your
loved one to follow a healthy diet, introduce calcium and vitamin D
supplements into smoothies, and try out some senior-friendly exercises
together.
Hip fracture treatments for seniors
Depending on the type of hip fracture, the doctor will recommend a hip
repair using screws or a partial or full hip replacement. All are major
surgeries and will require a good rehabilitation program both in a hospital, in
a rehabilitation facility, and at home to help your loved one get back on their
feet.
At Bristol Glen, we offer on-site short-term rehab in New Jersey for
seniors recovering from surgery or illness through our full staff of nursing,
physiotherapy, and rehabilitation specialists on our team. Our holistic
approach to care not only allows seniors to get a taste of what staying in
our assisted
living community is like but also allows them to access 24/7
specialized medical and therapeutic services that family caregivers usually
cannot provide.
To find out more about short term rehab in Sussex County, please contact
us today or visit our website at: https://bristolglen.umcommunities.org/
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