Why Home Health Care Makes Recovering From Hip Surgery Easier
You're getting ready to go to the hospital for a hip replacement because of painful arthritis in that joint. Once you're fully recovered, you be able to walk again pain free. Having a professional with you at home while you recover will make the process easier to tolerate and keep you on track to heal. Here are some good reasons to consider working with a home health services professional during your hip surgery recovery at home.
1. You'll have help setting boundaries on what you can do.
Recovering at home can be a challenge because you'll want to jump back into all of your normal daily activities. The fact is that you'll come home from the hospital a little weak and tired. This will continue while your body is healing. If you try to do too much, too soon, you could injure yourself. If you become tired or dizzy and fall, you could injure and possibly dislocate your new hip joint. A home health care nurse or aid will help you set limits on what you can and can't do around the house. As you get stronger, you'll take on more responsibilities and can become more active.
2. You'll have help managing your pain and medications.
You will have pain for a few days after you get home. Your doctor will send you home with one or more prescriptions for pain medication. The best way to control your pain is to be proactive about it. If you wait until you're in a lot of pain, the medication won't be as effective. Taking the medication on a regular schedule keeps it in your system to fight off the pain. A home health nurse will work with you to define a schedule for taking all of your medications. They will make sure that you stay on a schedule where the pain medication is effective. If you should have an especially difficult day, the nurse can contact your doctor and discuss other options to help with the pain.
3. You'll have someone monitoring your progress and give encouragement.
You'll spend several weeks doing physical therapy to relax the tense muscles in and around the hip joint. You'll also work on strengthening the muscles to help you walk and to support the new artificial hip. A home health professional will track your progress and make sure you stay on a healthy pace. Recovery from total hip replacement surgery requires slow, incremental progress. If you walk or exercise too little, you'll slow down your progress. If you do too much, you could hurt your hip and, again, slow down recovery. When you have someone at home helping you keep the pace set by your doctor and physical therapist, you can be confident of a easier recovery.
For more information, contact Staff Mates Homecare or a similar company.